What we know about elias rodriguez, terror suspect accused of killing two israeli embassy staffers in dc jewish museum shooting

The suspected terrorist busted for fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy staffers has ties to a radical left-wing group that spearheaded Black Lives Matter protests and fiercely advocates on

behalf of Palestinians. Elias Rodriguez, 31, allegedly confessed to gunning down the couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, late Wednesday, when he was heard chanting,

“Free, free Palestine,” cops said. As investigators probed a motive behind the horrific antisemitic bloodshed, details were beginning to emerge about the anti-Israel agitator. Rodriguez was

once linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation — a far-left group that regularly posts anti-Israel rhetoric on social media. “End the genocide. Israel out of Gaza now,” the group

posted Wednesday — just hours before the DC shooting. The group confirmed Rodriguez’s membership in the wake of the shooting as it distanced itself from the violence. EXPLORE MORE “We reject

any attempt to associate the PSL with the DC shooting. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL,” the group said in an X post early Thursday. “He had a brief association with one branch

of the PSL that ended in 2017. We know of no contact with him in over 7 years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it.” In a since-deleted article on the group’s

Liberation news outlet, Rodriguez was described as a member who participated in a 2017 Black Lives Matter protest outside the home of then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The protest was held on

the anniversary of the death of 17-year-old black teen Laquan McDonald, who was gunned down by a Chicago cop. Rodriguez railed against Amazon during the protest, accusing the company of not

sharing its wealth with black residents. “[Amazon’s] whitening of Seattle is structurally racist and a direct danger to all workers who live in that city,” he was quoted as saying. “So do

we in Chicago and all across the country want a nation of cities dominated and occupied by massive corporations where only the rich and white can live and the vast majority of us must live

on the edges of the city and society living in deeper and deeper poverty?” He previously worked as an oral history researcher at the History Makers — a nonprofit that documents African

American history, his LinkedIn shows. His bio on the site, which was deleted after the shooting, noted that he holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Illinois at

Chicago.  “Prior to joining The HistoryMakers in 2023, he worked as a content writer for commercial and noncommercial firms in the technology space, both national and regionally based,” the

bio page stated. “He enjoys reading and writing fiction, live music, film, and exploring new places.” At the time of the shooting, Rodriguez was employed at the American Osteopathic

Information Association [AOIA] – a nonprofit trade association that focuses on advancing IT use in osteopathic medicine. “We were shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been

arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime,” Teresa Hubka, president of the American Osteopathic Association, said in a statement. “Both the AOIA and AOA stand ready to cooperate with the

investigation in any way we can. As a physician organization dedicated to protecting the health and sanctity of human life, we believe in the rights of all persons to live safely without

fear of violence.” ------------------------- FOLLOW THE POST’S COVERAGE ON ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS KILLED IN DC ------------------------- Meanwhile, Rodriguez was being interviewed by DC’s

Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI early Thursday as authorities scrambled to piece together his history. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed the feds were looking at “certain

writings allegedly authored by the suspect.” “We hope to have updates as to the authenticity very soon,” he said in an X statement Thursday afternoon. Sources earlier told The Post that

investigators were focusing on a 900-word manifesto brandishing Rodriguez’s name that was posted online just before the slayings. In addition to trying to determine the document’s

authenticity, authorities were also trawling through Rodriguez’s electronic devices and probing whether he was self-radicalized, the sources said. The document, which was dated May 20 — a

day before the slayings — appeared to suggest the killings were an act of political protest ignited by the war in Gaza. Rodriguez, a Chicago native, is accused of gunning down the couple —

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim — as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum late Wednesday. Witnesses described seeing a distressed Rodriguez pacing outside the museum just

moments before the gunfire rang out. People came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red

keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,” witnesses and police said. Footage showed the alleged maniac — wearing a suit jacket and slacks — being hauled away in cuffs in the

aftermath.