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Prosecutors seek death penalty for US man charged with killing Israeli embassy staffers / Photo: Alex WROBLEWSKI - AFP/File
Prosecutors seek death penalty for US man charged with killing Israeli embassy staffers
Prosecutors said Friday that they will seek the death penalty for a Chicago man charged with fatally shooting two Israeli embassy staffers in the US capital last year.
Elias Rodriguez was arrested immediately after the May 21 shooting of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his fiancee, Sarah Milgrim, 26, outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a court filing that prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Rodriguez, who faces murder, firearms and hate crime charges.
"Rodriguez's actions were motivated by political, ideological, national, and religious bias, contempt, and hatred," Pirro said.
Rodriguez allegedly shouted "Free Palestine" as he was taken away by police after the shooting and told officers, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza."
According to the FBI, Rodriguez is believed to have acted alone, motivated by "anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian ideology."
Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, was a researcher at the Israeli embassy, while Milgrim, an American, worked for its public diplomacy department. The couple were engaged to be married.
President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and has called for an expansion of its use "for the vilest crimes."
S.Cloutier--SMC
