Deadly shooting in Washington: Murder charges

Washington. According to an indictment document, the suspected gunman who shot and killed two Israeli embassy employees justified the act with support for the Palestinians in the Middle East. After the fatal shooting in front of the Jewish Museum in the US capital, Washington, the alleged perpetrator, Elias R., told a police officer: "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza (...)." As police led him away, he shouted, "Free Palestine." This was stated in an affidavit by the investigating FBI agent.

Surveillance camera footage shows the alleged perpetrator firing several shots at the two victims, according to the prosecutor's office. After the two slumped to the ground, he continued firing at close range – even as one of the victims tried to drag himself away. "Investigators recovered a 9mm caliber pistol and 21 spent cartridge cases at the crime scene."

After his arrest, it was reported that the suspect had chanted a pro-Palestinian slogan. The alleged perpetrator is now charged with murder. The crime is also being investigated as a hate crime and a possible act of terrorism, which is why additional charges are likely to be added, said Acting U.S. Capitol District Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

Nir Barkat, Israel's Minister of Economy, lays flowers at the cordoned-off crime scene in the city center.

Source: Luzia Geier/dpa

The public prosecutor's office accuses the alleged perpetrator, Elias R., of first-degree murder of a foreign representative for the killing of German-Israeli Yaron Lischinsky. He is also charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of Lischinsky and his partner, Sarah Milgrim. He also faces charges of violating gun laws.

Pirro said the investigation is still in its early stages, but the charges involve crimes that could carry the death penalty if convicted. The judge has scheduled a hearing in the case for June 18.

According to authorities, the alleged perpetrator, Elias R., is from Chicago and had only arrived in Washington by plane the day before the crime. His pistol, which he had purchased in his home state of Illinois in 2020, was properly registered and checked in for his flight. In the first few hours after the crime, authorities described him as a 30-year-old, but according to the indictment, he is 31.

The deadly attack caused widespread shock in the United States, Israel, and around the world. According to the Israeli ambassador in Washington, the young man and woman were a couple about to get engaged.

The head of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, described the deadly attack as an act of terrorism in a post on the platform X. He wrote: "Last night's act of terrorism has the full attention of the FBI." He emphasized that "targeted anti-Semitic violence" is an attack on the country's fundamental values ​​and will be severely punished.

Washington's action took place against the backdrop of the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, which began with a devastating Hamas terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023. Israel is now facing strong international criticism for its military actions and the dire humanitarian situation in the largely devastated coastal strip, which is sealed off from the outside world.

RND/dpa