Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead outside Jewish Museum in Washington
The two staff members from the embassy to the United States were shot and killed late Wednesday when leaving the Jewish Museum; two others were injured.
Two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed Wednesday night in Washington, while leaving the Capital Jewish Museum. Two other embassy staffers were injured in the shooting.
According to Washington Metropolitan Police Commander Pamela Smith, the suspect was apprehended after the attack.
“Prior to the shooting, a suspect was observed pacing outside the museum,” she said, adding that he opened fire on a group of four people, killing a man and a woman. “The suspect chanted, ‘Free, free Palestine,’ while in custody.”
Police later identified the suspect as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago.
The Israeli embassy in Washington confirmed that the two victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, had been attending an event at the museum on the role of humanitarian diplomacy, organized by the American Jewish Committee, before the shooting occurred. Embassy spokesperson Tal Naim Cohen said the two staff members were shot “at close range.”
“We have full faith in law enforcement authorities on both the local and federal levels to apprehend the shooter and protect Israel’s representatives and Jewish communities throughout the United States,” Cohen said in a post on X.
Speaking about the two deceased staff members, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said, “The couple that was gunned down tonight in the name of ‘Free Palestine’ was a couple about to be engaged.”
President Donald Trump condemned the killings. “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. “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! God Bless You ALL!”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, “I am devastated by the scenes in Washington DC. This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy. Our hearts are with the loved ones of those murdered and our immediate prayers are with the injured.”
He added, “America and Israel will stand united in defense of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with Trump on Thursday evening. In a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office, the American leader was quoted as expressing “his deepest sorrow over the shocking killing in Washington of the two embassy staffers.” Netanyahu thanked Trump for the efforts made by him and his team to combat antisemitism in the United States.
This story has been updated.
