Two staffers of Israeli embassy were shot dead late Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted ‘free Palestine,’ authorities said, with US, Israeli and other world leaders expressing outrage over the killings.
President Donald Trump condemned the attack in the heart of the US capital, saying, ‘These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!’
Shots rang out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum as it held an event for young professionals and diplomatic staff.
The victims were a young couple who planned to get married, the Israeli ambassador said.
Israel’s foreign ministry identified them as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, an American.
Lischinsky was a research assistant at the Israeli embassy, while Milgrim worked for its public diplomacy department, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
The attack came days after the museum was awarded a grant to boost security, as anti-Semitism surges worldwide following the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza.
A video clip circulating on social media after the attack showed a bearded young man in a jacket and white shirt shouting ‘free, free Palestine’ as he was led away by police.
Police confirmed the suspected shooter walked into the museum after the attack and had been detained.
Witnesses said that security personnel appeared to mistake the man for a victim of the shooting and allowed him into the building, where he was comforted by bystanders before claiming responsibility for the attack.
‘Some of the people at the event brought him water. They sat him down. ‘Are you OK? Were you shot? What happened?’ And he’s like ‘somebody call the cops’,’ Yoni Kalin, who was in the museum, told US media.
Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters that the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum before the shooting.
‘He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire,’ she said.
‘After the shooting, the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security.’
She said the handcuffed man -- whom she identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago -- told them where he discarded the gun.
‘We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, announcing extra security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world.
‘Blood libels against Israel are paid in blood -- and they must be fought relentlessly,’ he said.
‘My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were abruptly cut short by a despicable antisemitic murderer.’
Britain, France and Germany were among those who joined in condemning the shooting.
The targeted event was an annual reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for young Jewish professionals and the Washington diplomatic community.
The evening was ‘dedicated to fostering unity and celebrating Jewish heritage,’ with an invitation to the event saying the location would be ‘shared upon registration.’
‘We are devastated that two cherished friends and partners from the Israeli embassy were shot and killed as they left an American Jewish Committee event,’ AJC CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement.
‘It strongly appears that this was an attack motivated by hate against the Jewish people and the Jewish state. This senseless hate and violence must stop.’
The museum in downtown Washington is just over a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the White House.
Police Chief Smith said officers responded to multiple calls about a shooting near the museum at around 9:00 pm on Wednesday (0100 GMT Thursday).
First responders found a man and a woman unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts, both were pronounced dead.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told reporters the young staffers were a couple about to get engaged.
‘The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,’ Leiter said.
‘They were a beautiful couple.’
He said he spoke to Trump by telephone, with the president assuring him that the United States would ‘do everything it can possibly do to fight and end anti-Semitism.’
Emergency vehicles remained at the scene in the early hours of Thursday after police taped off the area.
‘We’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send the clear message that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism,’ Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters.
‘The horrific incident is going to frighten a lot of people in our city, and in our country. I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate.’
