Two employees of the Israeli embassy were shot and killed in Washington, D.C. Wednesday evening as they were leaving an event at a Jewish museum. The suspect, who yelled "free, free Palestine" during his arrest, according to police and video from the scene, was quickly taken into custody.
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference that a man opened fire on a group of four people outside the Capital Jewish Museum, hitting the pair. The victims, locally employed staff who the Israeli foreign ministry said were working to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, were identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
The lone gunman, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was seen pacing outside the museum ahead of the shooting and walked into the museum afterward, where event security detained him, Smith told reporters at a news conference.
"Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offense," she said, per Reuters, adding that Rodriguez had no prior contact with police.
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino said on X that local police and the FBI were interviewing the suspect, noting that early indicators point to the shooting being "an act of targeted violence."
"Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads," he said.
The Department of Justice leveled four charges against Rodriguez on Thursday, at least one of which carries the possibility of the death penalty. Rodriguez is facing charges of murder with a firearm, murder of foreign officials, using a firearm to commit a violent crime and first-degree murder.
The fatal shooting comes amid heightened tensions over Israel's war in Gaza, as the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues its bombardment of the territory and blockade of aid with the United States' unconditional support, and faces increased condemnation on the global stage. Since Israel's 1.5-year-long offensive in Gaza started following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, rights groups have seen a notable uptick in antisemitism and anti-Arab hate in the U.S.
With President Donald Trump's battle with higher education escalating — hinging access to federal funding, in part, on universities agreeing to stifle student protests — the shooting is also likely to increase scrutiny of pro-Palestinian activists on college campuses across the nation. Two immigrant student protesters made headlines earlier this year after Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested and detained them.
The president condemned the shooting early Thursday.
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” Trump posted on social media. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
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Netanyahu said Thursday that he was "shocked" by the "horrific, antisemitic" shooting and that his heart breaks for the victims.
“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a post to X.
However, Yair Golan, head of the Israeli opposition, argued that Netanyahu was himself to blame for the incident.
“I share the grief of the families of those murdered in the attack in Washington and support all employees of the State of Israel's Foreign Service,” he wrote on X. “It is Netanyahu's Kahane Hai government that is fueling anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel, and the result is unprecedented political isolation and danger to every Jew in every corner of the globe."
The activist group Jewish Voice for Peace, which opposes Israeli military actions in Gaza and the West Bank, also spoke out against the attack.
"We condemn last night’s fatal shooting of two staff of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C.," the group said on X. "We are grounded first and foremost in the belief that all human life is precious, which is precisely why we are struggling for a world in which all people can live in safety and dignity."
The two victims of Wednesday night's attack were a young couple about to be engaged, according to Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter. He said Lischinsky had just purchased a ring with the intent of proposing to Milgrim next week in Jerusalem.
The shooting occurred after the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception, billed as a special event that brings together Jewish young professionals and Washington's diplomatic community.
“This is a shocking act of violence and our community is holding each other tighter tonight,” Ted Deutch, the American Jewish Committee’s CEO, said in a statement early Thursday, according to the Associated Press. “At this painful moment, we mourn with the victims’ families, loved ones, and all of Israel. May their memories be for a blessing.”
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