Hundreds converged upon the White House perimeter on Thursday evening, gathering for a somber vigil in memory of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, the Israeli Embassy staffers who were murdered in a shooting attack in Washington, DC, the night before.
The gathering saw mourners illuminate the twilight with candles placed reverently before portraits of the two victims.
Attendees were seen draped in both Israeli and American flags and were heard singing Hebrew songs, including Israel’s national anthem "Hatikvah", "Jerusalem of Gold" and "Hinei Ma Tov".
Elias Rodriguez, the terrorist who carried out Wednesday’s shooting attack, was charged earlier on Thursday with two counts of first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
Sky News reported on Thursday that Rodriguez was affiliated with a radical left-wing organization and regularly disseminated anti-Israel messages.
The report stated that Rodriguez had scheduled a post to publish an hour after the attack, accusing Israel of committing "atrocities" against Palestinians.
In the post, he wrote, "The atrocities committed by Israelis against Palestine go beyond what words can describe." He claimed that "public opinion has turned against the apartheid state committing genocide," and criticized the American administration for its inaction.
The investigation has found that Lischinsky and Milgrim were leaving an event at the Jewish Museum when Rodriguez approached a group of four people and began shooting.
Footage shared on social media captured Rodriguez's arrest, during which he was handcuffed by police and shouted, "Free Palestine."