The suspect in the killing of two employees of the Israeli Embassy in the capital of the United States, Washington, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, according to the initial charges announced by US authorities, which could carry the death penalty.
The acting federal prosecutor for the District of Washington, Jeanine Pirro, has reported in a press conference that, in addition to the two charges of first-degree murder, he has been accused of murdering foreign officials, causing death with a firearm, and shooting a firearm in a violent crime.
Pirro has explained that the Department of Justice is investigating the case as an act of terrorism and a hate crime. “We will add additional charges as the evidence justifies. We will not tolerate antisemitism, especially in the nation’s capital,” he stated.
The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Washington, Steven J. Jensen, has stated that they are investigating the online activity of the attacker, specifically an alleged manifesto that is circulating on the internet. “We are actively investigating to determine both the authorship and attribution of these writings, whether they belong to this individual or not,” he pointed out.
The judicial documents, to which CNN has had access, detail that the police recovered 21 fired bullets and a nine-millimeter pistol. By tracing it, they have discovered that it was purchased by the suspect in March 2020 in Illinois.
Additionally, they have indicated that the attacker, identified as Elías Rodríguez, 31 years old, flew from Chicago to Washington one day before the attack, on Tuesday, to attend a work conference, and declared that he was carrying a firearm in his checked luggage. He has no criminal record.
Rodríguez, who appeared in court for the first time this afternoon and did not plead guilty, will remain in prison awaiting future hearings. The next one is scheduled for a month from now, on June 18th.