At a Washington DC court, the FBI says Elias Rodriguez, 31, from Chicago, shot Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky in the back after he passed them as they were leaving the Jewish Capital Museum last night.
Prosecutors’ charging documents allege that once the couple fell to the ground, he leaned over them and fired several more times.
Surveillance video allegedly shows Milgrim attempting to crawl away.
Rodriguez “followed behind her and fired again”, according to the court documents, known in the US as a complaint.
He is alleged to have reloaded his weapon and fired at Milgrim as she sat up.
The complaint claims Rodriguez then jogged to the museum and asked to speak to an officer, stating that he “did it” and that he was unarmed.
He allegedly told police: “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed.”
The charging document says Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Washington DC on Tuesday with a gun in his baggage.
It reads: “During an interview with MPD detectives, after having been advised of his Miranda rights and after waiving them, Rodriguez expressed admiration for the actions of an individual who self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, on February 25, 2024, as a form of protest intended to draw attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”