The U.S. Justice Department is actively considering the death penalty for Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in a calculated antisemitic attack fueled by hatred of Israel.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, confirmed at a press conference Thursday that the Justice Department is initiating the legal process that could lead to a federal death sentence for Rodriguez, who now faces nine federal hate crime charges.

Rodriguez, according to a newly unsealed indictment, “targeted the victims because they were Israeli.” The charges stem from the May shooting that claimed the lives of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26 — young Israeli staffers who were allegedly planning to get engaged shortly before they were murdered.

According to Pirro, Rodriguez left behind a manifesto explicitly stating that he carried out the attack “to demonstrate his hatred for the people of Israel.”

Moments after the double killing, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and shouted, “I did it for Palestine,” before fleeing the scene.

“This is a weighty decision. It takes time. There will be a rigorous process,” Pirro said of the death penalty deliberations. “We are starting the process. We’ve made no decision yet. The final call will be made by the attorney general.”

FBI Special Agent Reid Davis, head of the Washington Field Office Criminal Division, said investigators have determined that Rodriguez acted alone and was “motivated by anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian ideology.”

Pirro directly tied the killing to the broader trend of rising Jew-hatred, warning that federal authorities are ready to prosecute such crimes with maximum force.

“We’re going to look for these cases. We’re going to prosecute these cases to the full force of the law,” Pirro said. “It’s a problem, and we’re not going to tolerate it. Antisemitism has historically been one of the biggest scabs in the world that keeps getting picked on. I will go forward with every case with vengeance.”

Pirro revealed that she has spoken directly with the grieving families of the victims — two young professionals whose lives were cut short in a matter of seconds.

“These are people who are broken because of one man’s actions,” she said. “These are people who should have been in-laws, but because of one man’s actions, they will never be able to celebrate a marriage or the grandchildren that would have resulted.”

If convicted of the hate crime charges, Rodriguez could face the death penalty — a rare but possible outcome in federal cases. Prosecutors say the nature of the crime, the targeting of foreign diplomatic staff, and the explicit antisemitic motive all elevate the severity of the charges.

The Justice Department has not yet indicated a timeline for its final decision.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)