The U.S. Justice Department announced Friday that it will pursue the death penalty against the man charged with murdering two Israeli Embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.

Elias Rodriguez has been charged with federal hate crimes and murder in the shooting deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were leaving an event at the museum in May. According to the indictment, Rodriguez yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack and later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”

Among the charges filed against Rodriguez is a hate crime resulting in death. Prosecutors also included special findings in the indictment, clearing the way for the government to seek capital punishment.

“My message to anyone who seeks to commit political violence in this district — D.C. is not the place. You will be held accountable and you will face the full wrath of the law,” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said Friday during an unrelated press conference where she disclosed the Justice Department’s decision.

Federal prosecutors must prove Rodriguez acted out of antisemitic motives when he allegedly opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were reportedly preparing to become engaged. Milgrim was an American citizen, while Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen employed in the United States.

Authorities say the murders were deliberate and carefully organized. Prosecutors stated that Rodriguez traveled from Chicago to the Washington area before the May 21 gathering at the Capital Jewish Museum, bringing a handgun in his checked luggage.

Witnesses told investigators that Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the venue before approaching a group of four individuals and opening fire. Surveillance footage allegedly captured him moving closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim after they collapsed, leaning over them and firing additional rounds. Officials also said he appeared to reload his weapon before fleeing the scene.

Court documents state that after the shooting, Rodriguez entered the museum and declared, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed.” Investigators also said he told detectives he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, calling the man “courageous” and a “martyr.”