Crime & Safety
Chicago Man Accused Of Killing Israeli Embassy Staffers Pleads Not Guilty To Terrorism Charges
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. last year.
WASHINGTON, DC — The Chicago man accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staff members outside a Washington, D.C. museum last year has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges connected to the incident, according to a report.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, was charged last month with four counts of acts of terrorism while armed and a separate charge for premeditation to commit acts of terrorism in connection with the May 2025 deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Rodriguez entered his plea to the terrorism charges on Wednesday, WJLA reported.
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Rodriguez is facing nine additional charges, including two counts of hate crime resulting in death, two counts of first-degree murder and weapons offenses.
“My office will not rest in our efforts to hold Elias Rodriguez accountable for this horrific and targeted act of terror against Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim and our Jewish community,” U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro said in February.
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According to prosecutors, Rodriguez is accused of gunning down Lischinsky and Milgrim as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the venue after the shooting and was detained by event security.
When he was taken into custody, Rodriguez began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said. Rodriguez told police after his arrest, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," and that he was the one who “did it,” according to initial charging documents.
The initial indictment against Rodriguez revealed details about his actions leading up to the shootings.
According to prosecutors, Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Washington, D.C., two days before the shooting with a semi-automatic handgun packed in his luggage.
The same day, prosecutors said he authored a manifesto that he called “Explication,” in which he argued for the “morality of armed demonstration” and wrote that “[t]hose of us against the genocide take satisfaction in arguing that the perpetrators and abettors have forfeited their humanity.”
On May 21, prosecutors said Rodriguez purchased a ticket to the Young Diplomats Reception sponsored by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum, the same event attended by Lischinsky and Milgrim.
According to court documents, Rodriguez approached Lischinsky, Milgrim and two others after they walked out of the event and fired approximately 20 shots using the gun that he had brought from Chicago.
After the victims fell, prosecutors said he continued firing at close range, even as Milgrim attempted to crawl away.
Police removed Rodriguez from the event and, as he was taken away, prosecutors said Rodriguez yelled at attendees who had remained inside, “Shame on you” and “Shame on Zio-nazi terror.”
Investigators recovered the gun and 20 spent shell casings at the scene.
Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, worked as a research assistant at the Israeli Embassy, where he was responsible for several tasks, including keeping its political department up to date on “important events and trends happening in the Middle East & North Africa,” according to his LinkedIn profile.
Milgrim worked at the Israeli Embassy’s public diplomacy department and organized visits and missions to Israel. She was an American citizen, according to Mike Herzog, Israel's former ambassador to the U.S.
Lischinsky and Milgrim were dating each other before their deaths.
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