The main accused in the Washington, DC shooting incident, Elias Rodriguez, 31, shouted, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” after killing two Israeli Embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum, according to federal agents who described it as an act of terrorism.
Rodriguez was heard screaming “Free Palestine” as he was being taken into custody, shortly after shooting an American woman and an Israeli man, who were set to get engaged.
Documents detailing Rodriguez’s custody have revealed chilling details about Wednesday’s shooting incident. According to reports, Rodriguez refused to respond to any charges levelled against him when he was briefly produced before a court.
Additional charges are likely to be slapped against the accused as prosecutors probe the incident, seeing it as a hate crime against Jews and, additionally, an act of terrorism, reported international news agency Associated Press.
MURDER WELL-PLANNED: FBI
According to an affidavit by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US domestic intelligence agency — which was made public on Thursday — the Israeli Embassy staffers were murdered in cold blood, with the case described as calculated and well-planned.
The authorities further said that Rodriguez carried a gun in his hand baggage as he was travelling to Washington from Chicago on Tuesday. According to the affidavit, he had already purchased a ticket three hours ahead of the event at the Jewish Museum.
Eyewitnesses reported Rodriguez’s behaviour as suspicious, noting that he was pacing up and down in front of the museum before approaching a group of four and opening fire. In the surveillance footage accessed by the FBI, the domestic intelligence agency stated that Rodriguez closely examined the two victims after they were lying on the ground. He appeared to reload but then jogged away, according to the FBI affidavit.
Following the chilling incident, the accused walked inside the museum, saying that he “did it.” The affidavit says that he was unarmed at that time.
“I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” he said.
Condemning the incident, FBI chief Kash Patel didn’t stop short of calling the incident an “act of terror,” saying: “Last night’s act of terror has the full attention of the FBI. Targeted anti-Semitic violence is an attack on our core values and will be met with the full weight of federal law enforcement.”
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