30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, a man from Chicago, was identified as the sole suspect of a shooting near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night (US time). The tragic development claimed the lives of two Israeli embassy staffers, who have since been ID’d as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, a “young couple about to be engaged,” according to Israel’s ambassador to the US.

Who is Elias Rodriguez?

Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference that Rodriguez is believed to be the lone gunman behind the attack. Smith further revealed that he was seen pacing back and forth outside the museum moments before he came close to a group of four people and shot two of them. Thereafter, he went inside the Capital Jewish Museum, where he was ultimately detained. During the arrest, the 30-year-old Chicago man was seen yelling, “Free, free Palestine,” according to a video obtained by CNN from an eyewitness

Elias Rodriguez “pretended to be a witness” inside the museum while waiting for the police for over 10 minutes, according a separate witness Sara Marinuzzi’s account of the incident. Shortly after that he declared that he had gone through with the deadly shooting “for Gaza.” Paige Siegel, yet another witness, backed the claim, recounting that she, too, heard him say “I did it for Gaza” and “Free Palestine.”

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As per the latest update at the time of writing, Rodriguez was taken in for interrogation, with the DM Metropolitan Police and the FBI leading the charge. Reports indicated that police hadn’t previously come into contact with him, suggesting the absence of a prior criminal record. Police Chief Pamela Smith also disclosed that the Jewish Museum shooting suspect revealed where he discarded the weapon, which has since been recovered, after he was arrested.

An official motive driving the crime has yet to be revealed. Police affirmed that there was “no active threat” remaining after the shooting outside Jewish museum.

The Embassy of Israel to the US branded Rodriguez a “terrorist,” saying that he killed the “young couple” as they were exiting an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, similarly described the shooting as a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.” US President Donald Trump also condemned the violent act: “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen!”

Do we know anything else about Elias Rodriguez?

Although the police have yet to release a mugshot of the Israel Embassy suspect, a LinkedIn profile possibly linked to Elias Rodriguez has surfaced on social media. The man pictured on the account is also from Chicago, Illinois. These claims remain unverified at this time.

According to the Daily Mail, he reportedly has a membership with a far-left group, Part for Socialisma and Liberation and Black Lives Matter. In 2017, he is said to have been involved in a demonstration outside the then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel residence, protesting the city’s bid to host an Amazon headquarters.

Travis Hawley, who goes by @talk2trav, a self-proclaimed ‘Open Source Intelligence analyst’ took to his X profile, claiming that he had collected some findings related to Rodriguez. In addition to linking the same LinkedIn profile, he claims to have found the suspect’s profile of The HistoryMakers, a national “non-profit research and education institution committed to preserving and making widely accessible the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans.”

Again the man named “Elias Rodriguez” on the non-profit’s website hails from Chicago as well. “Elias Rodriguez is an Oral History Researcher at The HistoryMakers, where he prepares detailed research outlines and biographies of accomplished leaders in the African American community. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he holds a B.A. degree in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining The HistoryMakers in 2023, he worked as a content writer for commercial and noncommercial firms in the technology space, both national and regionally based. He enjoys reading and writing fiction, live music, film, and exploring new places. He lives in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago,” reads his profile on the website.

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Plugging several other alleged accounts and associations, the former US Air Force Intelligence officer said that he even has Rodriguez’s contact number, email address, home address, date of birth, usernames and most-used passwords. “I will not be posting any of that of course but if law enforcement wants/needs it please reach out,” he added at the end of a lengthy thread seeking to expose the suspect’s alleged social media activity.

On top of that, an alleged manifesto penned by Elias Rodriguez (as shared by “independent journalist Ken Klippenstein) is also doing numbers of X. The “explication” dated May 20 cites “genocide” in Gaza as a possible motive.

It has yet to be confirmed if all these revelations tied to a man named “Elias Rodriguez” have anything to do with the suspect linked to the Israeli Embassy staff killings.