TikTok Influencer Endorses Fatal Shooting of Israeli Embassy Staff in DC

Popular pro-Palestinian TikTok influencer, Guy Christensen, known as YourFavoriteGuy with over 3.4 million followers, has sparked outrage and drawn FBI attention after publicly endorsing the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 2025. The victims, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum after attending an American Jewish Committee event aimed at fostering reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

In a now-deleted video posted on Thursday, (May 22, 2025), Christensen declared, “I do not condemn the elimination of the Zionist officials who worked at the Israeli embassy last night,” referring to the attack by alleged shooter Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old Chicago man charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, and firearm offenses.

Guy said, "I do not condemn the elimination of the Zionist officials who worked at the Israeli embassy last night. I want to urge you first to support Elias’ actions. He is not a terrorist. He’s a resistance fighter, and the fact is that the fight against Israel’s war machine, against their genocide machine, against their criminality, includes their foreign diplomats in this country.”

Christensen also said that the shootings were not antisemitic, citing Lischinsky’s self-identification as a Christian and alleged Messianic Jew. He further labeled both victims “war criminals” and read a manifesto attributed to Rodriguez, titled “Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home,” which accuses Israel of genocide.

The FBI is investigating Christensen’s statements as part of a broader probe into the shooting, which is being treated as a potential hate crime and act of terrorism.

Authorities are examining Christensen’s online activity, including his social media posts and the deleted video, to determine if his rhetoric incites violence or indicates coordination with Rodriguez, who confessed at the scene, shouting, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”

The FBI has also searched Rodriguez’s Chicago apartment, where a sign referencing the 2023 murder of a Palestinian-American boy was displayed, and is verifying online writings linked to the suspect.

Christensen’s endorsement marks a reversal from an earlier video where he condemned the murders, stating, “I don’t support the slaughter of civilians.”

In his later video, he predicted a government crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists, comparing it to Kristallnacht, a Nazi pogrom, and expressed fear of federal investigation, saying, “I hope my retracted condemnation does not allow our government to condemn me to a cell.”

Posts on X indicate he also claimed the attack was not antisemitic, emphasizing Lischinsky’s Christian identity, and expressed defiance against the FBI, alleging harassment of his family.

The influencer, a vocal pro-Palestinian activist since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, has built a massive following through videos condemning Israel and supporting Palestinian causes, often displaying symbols like a keffiyeh and a Palestinian flag.

The shooting has heightened tensions amid rising antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment in the U.S., with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “heinous antisemitic murder.”

The Israeli Embassy expressed devastation, noting Lischinsky and Milgrim’s work to promote peace. The investigation continues, with potential additional charges against Rodriguez, whose case is eligible for the death penalty.