USA – 2 Israeli embassy employees shot dead on street as they exited the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night. Suspect is in custody according to authorities.
The victims, a man and woman, whose identities have not yet been made public, were shot at close range as they exited an event hosted at the museum, located at the corner of 3rd and F Streets NW, an area close to several government institutions including the FBI’s Washington field office.
“Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC,” said US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, calling the shooting “depraved” and pledging justice for the victims.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, condemned the attack as a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism,” warning that “harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line.”
Israeli embassy spokesman Tal Naim Cohen said in a statement that both victims were attending the event when they were targeted.
“We have full faith in law enforcement authorities on both the local and federal levels to apprehend the shooter and protect Israel’s representatives and Jewish communities throughout the United States,” she said.
Police launched a large-scale response, closing several nearby streets and locking down Georgetown University’s Capitol campus.
CBS reported that the suspect is a goateed man wearing blue jeans and a blue jacket. The Israeli ambassador was not present at the time of the shooting, US media reported.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee labeled the attack a “horrific act of terror.”
DC Shooting Suspect in Custody in Killings
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said the suspect, identified tentatively as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was taken into custody after being seen pacing outside the museum before the attack.
“He chanted ‘Free Palestine, Free Palestine’ while in custody,” Smith told reporters, adding that Rodriguez had no prior record with police.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau was working with the metropolitan police to learn more.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms,” calling it “a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence” and vowing to “track down those responsible and bring them to justice.”