More information about the suspected gunman who allegedly shot two staffers from the Israeli embassy has surfaced. The reports, court documents, and what is believed to be the alleged shooter’s manifesto paint a dark picture of a young man motivated by anti-Jewish bigotry and anger over the war in Gaza.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, was arrested shortly after confessing to the shootings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. The shooting took place at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening, as reported by Townhall’s Matt Vespa.
The suspect is a Chicago resident who graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He worked at several different jobs, including an administrative specialist at the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA). He was also an oral history researcher at The HIstoryMakers and a content writer for various tech companies.
A neighbor described Rodriguez as quiet and friendly. He was shocked to learn that he had been arrested for the shooting.
The suspect was deeply interested in politics — especially the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He had a brief association with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) until 2017. He was also a member of a leftist activist gropu called Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) in 2018, according to an affidavit.’
A review of Rodriguez’s social media activity revealed a keen interest in the pro-Hamas movement, which has gained notoriety after the terrorist group murdered Israeli civilians and military personnel on October 7, 2023, in a devastating surprise attack.
In one post, he lauded an anti-Israel activist who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, in 2024 to protest Israel’s efforts to eradicate Hamas. He referred to the individual as a “martyr.”
Rodriguez also displayed a picutre of a Palestinian-American child who was murdered by a neighbor in 2023. It is believed that he authored a manifesto before the shooting titled “Escalate for Gaza, Bring The War Home,” which he posted on X. Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino explained that the Bureau is looking into these writing to verfiy their authorship.
I have a few updates on last night’s shooting that I want to share with you all, in the interest of transparency. Out of respect for the investigation and the charges being aggressively pursued, we are limited in what we can immediately say, but we want to share as much…
— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) May 22, 2025
However, investigators believe the document to be authentic. Journalist Ken Klippenstein published the content of the manifesto on his Substack. In the writings, Rodriguez expresses a deep hatred of Israel’s government for supposedly carrying out a “genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. He accuses Israel and its Western allies of being complicit in mass atrocities and human rights abuses, asserting that “Israel had obliterated the capacity to even continue counting the dead.”
The suspect questioned the casualty figures, saying, “I have no trouble believing the estimates that put the toll at 100,000 or more” and claims the situation is similar to the devastation that has occurred in Yemen. “We who let this happen will never deserve the Palestinians’ forgiveness,” he wrote.
Rodriguez doubted the efficacy of nonviolent protests. He argued that these efforts are futile and have not achieved much. “Nonviolent protest in the opening weeks of the genocide seemed to signal some sort of turning point,” the suspect wrote. However, he believed “the rhetoric has not amounted ot much.”
Instead, his decision to commit murder is a response to inaction, saying the federal government is indifferent to public opinion about the war, according to the document. He appeared to conclude that violence for the Palestinian cause was justified and warranted. “Inhumanity has long since shown itself to be shockingly common,” he stressed, also noting that the people carrying out this “inhumanity” tend to be loving and moral.
He further argued that using violence is a way to make his statement in a way Americans can understand. “The action will be highly legible, and, in some funny way, the only sane thing to do,” he wrote.
Interestingly enough, in his social media posts, he often criticized Israel but fell short of calling for violence against Jewish people, ABC News reported.
An analysis of the suspect's online activity shows that the suspect has apparently been posting about the Israel-Hamas conflict almost since it started in October 2023, according to sources briefed on the digital probe.
Analysts noted the posts denounced Israel, but did not call for violence against Jewish people. The suspect did apparently call for violence against the Israeli state and encouraged violence against the U.S. and American newspapers for supporting Israel. He also expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), an anti-capitalist political organization, acknowledged that one of its chapters had a "brief association" years ago with Rodriguez, but said the group had "nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it."
Rodriguez is currently facing several charges, including first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, and firearms offenses. His next hearing is scheduled for June 18, 2025.
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