Two Israeli embassy staffers shot dead in Washington
A man and woman were killed in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, a suspect is in custody, officials say
22 May 2025 - 07:20
byAgency Staff
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A man, with an Israeli flag with a cross in the center, looks on next to police officers working at the site where, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Picture: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Two Israeli embassy staff were killed in a shooting outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night, and a suspect is in custody, officials said.
A man and a woman were shot and killed in the area of 3rd and F streets in Northwest, which is near the museum, an FBI field office and the US attorney’s office. They were a young couple about to be engaged to be married, the Israeli ambassador said.
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said a single suspect who was seen pacing outside the museum before the event was in custody. The suspect, tentatively identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine” in custody, she said.
The suspect had no previous contact with police, she added.
President Donald Trump condemned the shooting. “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on anti-Semitism, must end, NOW!” he said in a message on Truth Social. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and US secretary of state Marco Rubio also condemned the incident.
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, said two of its staff members were shot “at close range” while attending a Jewish event at the museum.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X: “We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”
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 X.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, called the shooting “a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism”.
“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” Danon said in a post on X. “We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act.”
Attorney-general Pam Bondi and US attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro were at the scene of the shooting.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Two Israeli embassy staffers shot dead in Washington
A man and woman were killed in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, a suspect is in custody, officials say
Two Israeli embassy staff were killed in a shooting outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night, and a suspect is in custody, officials said.
A man and a woman were shot and killed in the area of 3rd and F streets in Northwest, which is near the museum, an FBI field office and the US attorney’s office. They were a young couple about to be engaged to be married, the Israeli ambassador said.
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said a single suspect who was seen pacing outside the museum before the event was in custody. The suspect, tentatively identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine” in custody, she said.
The suspect had no previous contact with police, she added.
President Donald Trump condemned the shooting. “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on anti-Semitism, must end, NOW!” he said in a message on Truth Social. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and US secretary of state Marco Rubio also condemned the incident.
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, said two of its staff members were shot “at close range” while attending a Jewish event at the museum.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X: “We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”
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 X.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, called the shooting “a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism”.
“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” Danon said in a post on X. “We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act.”
Attorney-general Pam Bondi and US attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro were at the scene of the shooting.
Reuters
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