A suspect is in custody after shooting dead two Israeli embassy staff outside a Jewish museum in Washington.
The gunman, named by police as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, approached a group of four people leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum and opened fire, killing Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who officials said were in a relationship.
Metropolitan police chief Pamela Smith said the shooter had been pacing outside the museum, steps away from the FBI’s field office, before the shooting. After killing the pair, he walked inside, where event security detained him.
The suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine,” after he was arrested, police said. He wasn’t on any security watchlists, and there were no heightened security threats before the shooting.
The event was the annual Young Diplomats reception, organized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), focusing on bridge building among US state department and embassy staff from various Middle Eastern and North African countries.
The Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said Lischinsky had purchased a ring to propose to Milgrim in Jerusalem the following week.
Lischinsky, 28, a German-Israeli, worked in the Israeli embassy’s political department, while Milgrim, a Jewish American, organized visits and missions to Israel. The embassy described them as friends and colleagues in a social media post, expressing heartbreak and devastation over their murder.
The US president, Donald Trump, condemned the killings, attributing them to antisemitism. The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, blamed European governments for incitement against Israel, linking it to the murder. However, France dismissed Sa’ar’s claims as completely outrageous and unjustified.
The DC mayor, Muriel Bowser, vowed to stand against antisemitism, stating, “We will not tolerate this violence or hate.” Rights advocates noted a rise in antisemitism and anti-Arab hate in the US since the conflict began, citing various incidents.
The FBI director, Kash Patel, expressed condolences for the victims and their families. The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, condemned the “despicable act of hatred” and offered support to the embassy staff. The UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, opposed the expansion of military force in Gaza but emphasized that it doesn’t excuse antisemitism.
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