Elias Rodriguez, who killed two Israeli embassy staffers, charged with double murder  

Elias Rodriguez, accused of fatally shooting Yaron Lischinski and Sara Milgram, two Israeli embassy staffers, outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., has been formally charged with first-degree murder, the murder of foreign officials, and multiple firearm offenses.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro confirmed Thursday that the Wednesday night attack is being investigated as a hate crime and warned that additional charges are likely. “This is a death penalty-eligible case,” Pirro said at a press briefing, though she noted it’s too early to determine whether prosecutors will pursue capital punishment.

Steve Jenson of the FBI’s Washington field office described the attack as “an act of terror and directed violence against the Jewish community.”

The US attorney's office in Washington has charged Rodriguez with two counts of first-degree murder.

He has also been charged with murder of foreign officials, causing death with a firearm, and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence. More charges, including terrorism, could be added, officials said at a press conference.

Rodriguez, who lives in Chicago, is believed to have travelled to the US capital for a work conference.

Politicians across the political spectrum in the US have condemned the killings, calling it antisemitic.