Two Israeli embassy staff shot and killed in Washington

Two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed outside an event at the Jewish museum in Washington on Wednesday night by a man who shouted a pro-Palestinian slogan, according to law enforcement officials.

The victims, named by Israel’s foreign ministry as Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, were gunned down at about 9pm as they were leaving a reception for young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee, a leading Jewish organisation in the US.

Metropolitan Police Department chief Pamela Smith said a suspect was in custody, who officers had “tentatively” identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago.

He chanted “free, free Palestine” while in custody, Smith said.

Tal Naim Cohen, spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, said on X that the staffers were “shot this evening at close range”. She said they had been attending “a Jewish event” at the museum, which is less than 1km from the US Capitol.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by the killings. “This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism,” he said. “We stand with the Jewish community in DC and across the US.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and said security would be stepped up at Israeli embassies around the world.

US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”

Smith said police believed the suspect had acted alone. She said he “was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum” before “he approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire”.

The suspect then entered the museum and was detained by security, she said. Smith said police had recovered the weapon used.

Kristi Noem, secretary of homeland security, wrote on X that the department would “bring this depraved perpetrator to justice”.

Steve Jensen, assistant director of the FBI’s Washington field office, said the bureau was investigating the shooting “as a terrorism and hate crime incident”.

Various studies have reported a rise in antisemitism, including in the US, since the start of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack on Israel.

Israel’s 19-month offensive in the enclave has killed more than 53,500 Palestinians, according to local officials, and fuelled a humanitarian catastrophe. During Hamas’s attack, militants killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials, and took a further 250 hostage.

Until Monday, Israel had not allowed any food, aid, medicines or fuel to enter Gaza for more than two months, which a UN panel warned last week had left nearly 500,000 Palestinians facing starvation.

In combination with Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza, the blockade has sparked intense international criticism, with the UK freezing talks on a new trade deal over the “abominable” situation in the enclave, and the EU reviewing its trade agreement with Israel. A senior UN official warned this month of a looming “genocide” in Gaza.

In a press conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar hit out at the criticism, saying there was a “direct line connecting antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder”.

“This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries, and international organisations, especially from Europe,” he said. “These libels about genocide, crimes against humanity, and murdering babies paved the way exactly for such murders.”

Michael Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, said the victims were a couple about to be engaged. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.” The Israeli embassy said: “Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives . . . No words can express the depth of our grief and horror.”

Leiter said he had spoken to Trump, who “told me that his administration is going to do everything they can possibly do to fight and end antisemitism and the hatred . . . the demonisation and delegitimisation of the state of Israel”.

Chuck Schumer, Democratic leader in the Senate, said on X: “This sickening shooting seems to be another horrific instance of antisemitism which as we know is all too rampant in our society.”

Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington