The U.S. Justice Department announced Friday it will seek the death penalty against Elias Rodriguez, who faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killings of two Israeli embassy staff members outside a Washington museum last year.

Rodriguez is accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21, 2024. According to court documents, Rodriguez shouted "Free Palestine" during the shooting and later told police, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza."

Prosecutors described the attack as calculated and planned. They allege Rodriguez flew from Chicago to the Washington region with a handgun in his checked luggage specifically for the museum event. Witnesses reported seeing him pacing outside the museum before approaching a group of four people and opening fire.

Surveillance footage showed Rodriguez advancing toward Lischinsky and Milgrim after they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots before appearing to reload and leaving the scene. He then entered the museum and surrendered, telling staff he was unarmed, according to court filings.

The victims were identified as a young couple who were planning to become engaged. Milgrim was a U.S. citizen and Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen working in the United States. The hate crime charges require prosecutors to prove Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced the death penalty decision at a news conference Friday, stating that those who commit political violence in the district "will face the full wrath of the law." Court documents also indicate Rodriguez expressed admiration for an Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024.