Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead near Jewish museum in Washington DC

Two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead downtown Washington DC, officials say.

The man and woman were a couple and were killed while leaving an event focused on helping Gazans at the Capital Jewish Museum, the event organiser tells the BBC at the scene.

The suspect has been detained and identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez. 
Police say he shouted “free Palestine” after being taken into custody, and officers will “look into ties to potential terrorism”
Israel’s embassy says the two staff members were shot “at close range” while foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar says it is a “shocking terrorist attack”.

US President Donald Trump says the attack is “so sad” and “based obviously on antisemitism”.

The two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged, Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US told a news conference. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.

“They were a beautiful couple,” Leiter says.

The suspect – who police have identified as Elias Rodriguez – chanted “free Palestine, free Palestine” while in custody, Washington police chief Pamela Smith said.

Steve Jensen, assistant director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, added that an investigation into the homicides will “look into ties to potential terrorism” and if the motive of the attack was based on a “hate crime”.

He called the shooting “heinous”.

The 30-year-old Chicago man was seen “pacing back and forth outside of the museum” where the shooting took place, they said.

He approached a group of four people and produced a handgun, at which point he shot both victims.

Rodriguez is now being held in custody and DC Mayor Bowser has said there is “no active threat in our community”.

Trump condemned the killings and suggested they were driven by antisemitism.

“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA,” he wrote on Truth Social, a platform he founded.

“Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!” Trump wrote.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel said the FBI is working with the police to respond to the situation, adding authorities will keep the public updated “as we are able”.

“In the immediate, please pray for the victims and their families,” he said.

Israeli embassy spokeswoman, Tal Naim Cohen, shared a statement on X.

“Two staff members of the Israeli embassy were shot this evening at close range while attending a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC,” she says.

“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.”

US Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem has vowed to “bring this depraved perpetrator to justice” while Israel’s ambassador to the UN called the incident a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism”.

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog responded, saying he is “devastated” by what’s happening.

“This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism,” he writes on X. “Our hearts are with the loved ones of those murdered and our immediate prayers are with the injured.”

He adds that he sends his “full support” to staff at the embassy and stands with the Jewish community in the US.

“America and Israel will stand united in defence of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us,” he writes.