US authorities have released the name of the suspect in the attack at a Jewish museum in Washington, where two Israeli embassy workers were murdered Thursday morning. According to reports, Elias Rodriguez, a young resident of Chicago, Illinois, is believed to be responsible for the shooting.
Elias Rodriguez, @PSLchicago and BLM activist ? pic.twitter.com/sH8p7Rz995
— SwordOfSalomon (@SwordOfSalomon) May 22, 2025
Social media users circulated images from a Liberation News article as potential evidence of Rodriguez's organizational affiliations and participation in pro-Gaza demonstrations.
Multiple unconfirmed social media posts have attempted to establish connections between Rodriguez and the Chicago chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. The posts emerged shortly after authorities released the suspect's identity and hometown information. According to reports in national media outlets, Rodriguez had previously participated in pro-Gaza demonstrations across the country.
Video: Yoni Kalin speaks about the incident / Credit: Social media
Social media users circulated images from a Liberation News article as potential evidence of Rodriguez's organizational affiliations. One such post questioned: "Is this him? Elias Rodriguez of Chicago – Party for Socialism & Liberation. Fully investigate that organization."
Witness Yoni Kalin on Fox5 shares more details:
Rodriguez was let in by security guards, he asked for cops & when they arrived he admitted crime.
"He grabbed a red kaffiyeh out of his pocket and started 'Free Palestine' chant, 'there's only one solution, Intifada revolution.'" pic.twitter.com/8fayT8jTaA
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) May 22, 2025
The Liberation News piece discusses the 2014 police killing of Laquan McDonald in Chicago, where someone identified as Elias Rodriguez stated, "the murder of Laquan McDonald and the Chicago bid for an Amazon headquarters are not two separate issues, but rather they are both connected." Investigators have not yet verified whether the individual quoted represents the same person arrested in connection with the Washington shooting.
Eyewitnesses claimed that minutes after the shooting, they saw the young man enter the museum building saying, "I saw what happened, I need water and a safe place." Shortly afterward, when police entered the building, Rodriguez pulled out a keffiyeh and began shouting slogans including "There is only one solution, intifada, revolution," a chant commonly associated with far-left activists.
Video: The arrest of the suspect at the scene of the killing / Credit: Social media
A brief video from the scene shows Rodriguez dressed in a suit and wearing glasses, already in police custody but continuing to shout "Free Palestine" toward the camera. He was taken for questioning by Washington police.
