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The father of the suspect accused in the fatal shootings of two Israeli Embassy staffers was identified as a Chicago political activist who attended President Donald Trump's joint address in March as a guest of a Democratic member of Congress, the New York Post revealed in an exclusive report on Friday (May 23).
Eric Rodriguez was invited to the U.S. Capitol a guest of Rep. Jesús 'Chuy' García (D-Ill.), who had previously praised him as "an outspoken advocate against attacks on veterans' services and the rights of unionized federal employees."
“Eric Rodriguez was our guest during the President’s Joint Speech to Congress, but we don’t know his family,” a spokesperson for Garcia confirmed to the newspaper Thursday (May 22) night.
Elias Rodriguez was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, among other charges, in relation to the fatal shootings of Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, a couple that was about to get engaged and on a night out, outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. Rodriguez, reported to be in his early 30s, "implied" that he committed the shooting and was seen shouting, "Free, free Palestine" while being detained in a video shared online.
Garcia issued a statement condemning the shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum on Thursday.
"I strongly condemn this horrible, senseless act of antisemitism," García wrote. "My heart is with the victims and everyone impacted by the attack. We mourn the lives lost and reject the idea that justice can be won through violence."
The incident took place at around 9:00 p.m. local time as Lischinsky and Milgrim were leaving the museum, where the American Jewish Committee was confirmed to have hosted a gathering. The suspect had paced back and forth outside the museum when he approached a group consisting of the two victims and two other individuals and opened fire using a handgun before attempting to enter the building, at which point he was detained by security, according to Smith.
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, claimed the two victims “were shot this evening at close range while attending a Jewish event," while Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, referred to the incident as a "depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he directed security increases for the global Israeli missions and representatives following the incident.
“My heart grieves for the families of the young beloveds, whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer," Netanyahu said via NBC News.