Suspect in killing of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington due in court

By Andrew Goudsward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The suspect accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Washington museum in what U.S. authorities have called an anti-Israel hate crime is set to appear in court on Thursday to enter a plea to a raft of criminal charges.

Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, is facing nine federal charges including murder of a foreign official and perpetrating a hate crime resulting in death. U.S. prosecutors have alleged that Rodriguez was motivated by…