The FBI says the attack is being investigated as a potential federal hate crime.
A suspect has been detained after two members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed on May 21 while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, police said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Lischinsky was a research assistant, and Milgrim organized visits and missions to Israel, he said.
The victims were leaving the Capital Jewish Museum and were in the area of 3rd and F streets in Northwest when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.
The victims were a young couple who were about to be engaged to be married, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter. He said the man had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem.
Smith identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago. She said the suspect was seen pacing outside the museum before the shooting.
Rodriguez walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said. He was chanting “Free Palestine, Free Palestine” when taken into custody, she said.
The suspect had no previous contact with police, she added.
Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino said early indicators suggest the shooting was a “targeted attack.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said he and his team had been briefed on the shooting.
“While we’re working with (Metropolitan Police Department) to respond and learn more, in the immediate, please pray for the victims and their families,” he wrote on the social media platform, X.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the shooting.
“Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC. We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share,” Noem said in a post on X. “Please pray for the families of the victims.”
“We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice,” Noem added.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that she was at the scene of the crime alongside U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top prosecutor in the District of Columbia.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, called the shooting a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”
“Harming the Jewish community is crossing a red line. We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act,” Danon said in a post on X. “Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives—everywhere in the world.”
President Donald Trump expressed his condolences for the families of the victims.
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by the shooting.
By Joseph Lord
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