Two Israeli embassy workers shot dead in downtown Washington
Police have arrested Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, who called him "Free Palestine" when he was taken down.
BarcelonaTwo Israeli embassy workers in the United States were murdered early Thursday morning outside a Jewish museum in downtown Washington. The victims, a man and a woman, were shot at close range as they left an event for young diplomats at the Jewish Museum, CBS reported. The incident occurred at 9:05 p.m. local time in the area of 3rd and NW Streets, an area filled with tourist attractions, museums, and government buildings, including the local FBI office. Police have arrested the alleged perpetrator, whom they identified as Elías Rodríguez, 30, of Chicago. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that he will increase security at his diplomatic missions around the world. "We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and savage incitement against the State of Israel," he said in a statement.
The police chief of the capital, Pamela Smith, said in a press conference that the man called "Free Palestine" when he was subdued. The police chief explained that the man "was not on the radar" of the security forces. "We have not had any prior interaction" with the suspect, Smith said in a press conference. The Israeli embassy in the United States has identified the dead couple as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram and has published a photograph of them together.
At the press conference, police explained that the alleged perpetrator of the double murder had been seen "pacing nervously in front of the museum" where the shooting took place. He approached a group of four people, pulled out a gun, and shot both victims. Some of the participants in the event, which took place inside the Jewish Museum, told the BBC that after hearing gunshots outside at around 9:06 p.m. local time, a man entered the museum "clearly agitated," and people approached him to offer him water and help, "unaware that he was the one wearing the suspenders." When security personnel appeared, the man pulled out a red kufia (the Palestinian headscarf) and shouted "Free Palestine." "Once handcuffed, the suspect identified where he had left the weapon, which was recovered, and hinted that he had committed the crime. The suspect called out "Free Palestine" once he was in custody," the police chief also explained.
The victims had attended a reception for young diplomats organized by the Committee of American Jews. It was advertised online as an evening cocktail party and "the biggest event of the year connecting young professionals with the diplomatic corps," including Gaza. Although the event's schedule was publicly announced, its location was only shared with those who signed up to attend, according to the BBC.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by the attack that “took the lives of two young Israeli embassy workers,” describing it as “a despicable act of hatred and anti-Semitism” in a message to X. Herzog sent his all to the American Jewish community. “America and Israel will stand united in defense of our people and our shared values. Terror and hatred will not break us,” he wrote.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations also called the incident a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.” “Attacking diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” UN Permanent Representative Danny Danon wrote to X. "We have full confidence that the US authorities will act decisively against those responsible for this crime. We have full confidence in law enforcement, both local and federal, to apprehend the shooter and protect representatives of Israel and Jewish communities in the United States," said spokesman Tal Naim Cohen.
Speaking to CBS, JoJo Kalin, a board member of the American Jewish Committee and organizer of the event after the shooting, said: "I didn't know the couple who were shot, but I do feel a certain sense of guilt. It's a very Jewish thing. I had organized it." She said the event was intended to build a coalition to help the people of Gaza. "I'm not going to lose my humanity over this, nor will I let it get me down. Both Israelis and Palestinians still deserve self-determination, and it's deeply ironic that that's what we were discussing. We wanted to build bridges, and instead, we were hit with this overwhelming hatred."
US President Donald Trump has already spoken out in a post on his Truth Social network: "These horrible murders in [Washington] DC, obviously based on anti-Semitism, must stop, NOW! Hate and radicalism have no place in the USA. Very sad that things like this can happen! May God bless you ALL!"
