Pam Bondi signals possibility of death warrant as DOJ weighs charges in antisemitic double murder outside D.C. Jewish Museum. Pro-Palestinian groups and influencers celebrate and rationalize killings. Jewish and Israeli groups reeling at assassination of young diplomats.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has confirmed that the Justice Department is “actively considering” the death penalty in the case of Elias Rodriguez, the 31-year-old accused of assassinating two Israeli diplomats in Washington, D.C. The case, already shaking U.S.-Israel relations and Jewish communities across the country, has escalated further as Rodriguez has been lionized by radical groups online.

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26—partners in life and both staffers at the Israeli Embassy—were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21 as they exited a diplomatic reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Rodriguez was apprehended at the scene, reportedly shouting “Free, free Palestine!” during his arrest.

According to court documents, Rodriguez confessed: “I did it for Palestine. I did it for Gaza.”

In a press briefing Thursday, Bondi called the killings “a brutal and deliberate act of antisemitic terrorism.” When asked directly if the Justice Department would pursue capital punishment, she said: “It is under serious review. No final decision has been made, but nothing is off the table. This is among the most aggravated crimes imaginable.”

The suspect faces federal charges under 18 U.S. Code § 1116 for the murder of internationally protected persons, two counts of first-degree murder, and firearms violations. The case is being treated as both a hate crime and an act of terrorism. A manifesto titled “Escalate for Gaza, Bring the War Home” was allegedly found in Rodriguez’s possession, urging violence against Jewish and Israeli targets in the United States.

In recent days, fringe groups and some online influencers have hailed Rodriguez as a “hero of the Palestinian cause.” Telegram channels affiliated with anti-Zionist and extremist factions posted celebratory messages calling the murder “resistance.” One U.S.-based student organization released a statement refusing to condemn the attack, instead claiming it was “a predictable reaction to genocide,” sparking widespread outrage.

“It is grotesque that any American organization would celebrate the cold-blooded execution of peaceful diplomats,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. “This is moral rot masquerading as activism.”

Bondi has previously shown willingness to authorize federal capital cases under President Trump’s renewed “America Safe Again” doctrine. Last month, she directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty in a high-profile assassination of a Fortune 500 CEO in New York, citing the public danger and ideological motives.

“The federal death penalty exists for precisely these moments,” said Alan Dershowitz. “When a political ideology leads to targeted assassination of foreign officials on American soil, that is not protest. That is war.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed news of a possible capital prosecution, calling the killings “an attack on all civilized nations.” Trump also issued a statement condemning the murders as “an act of terror, not just against Israel, but against every nation that believes in law and order.”

Whether Bondi proceeds with a death penalty request will depend on ongoing findings, especially whether Rodriguez’s actions were premeditated in coordination with any foreign or domestic networks. For now, the DOJ appears resolute in its approach.

As Bondi concluded: “Justice for Yaron and Sarah will be pursued with the full force of American law. We will not allow political murder to be normalized or applauded in this country.”