...A Chicago-born man arrested as the lone suspect in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington was charged on Thursday in federal court with two counts of first-degree murder in a killing widely condemned as an act of antisemitism.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, is accused of opening fire on a group of people on Wednesday night as they left an event for young professionals and diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
Rodriguez told police on the scene, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," according to the charging documents. Witnesses recounted hearing him chant, "Free Palestine" after he was taken into custody.
In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Rodriguez was charged in a six-page criminal complaint with murder of foreign officials, causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence.
Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, newly appointed by President Donald Trump as the top federal prosecutor in Washington, said at a news briefing the complaint against Rodriguez constitutes a "death penalty-eligible case."
"We are going to continue to investigate this as a hate crime and as a crime of terrorism," Pirro told reporters.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said earlier that the suspect was believed to have acted alone.
At his first appearance in court on Thursday, the suspect waived his right to a detention hearing, and a preliminary hearing in the case was set for June 18.
Rodriguez said little during the proceeding except to answer, "I do" to questions from a federal magistrate judge about whether he understood his rights. ...