Two Israeli embassy staff members shot dead outside Jewish museum in Washington DC

TWO STAFF MEMBERS of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC were shot dead on Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum in the US capital. 

The suspect shouted “free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said.

The two victims, identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the 30-year-old suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.

Lischinsky was a research assistant at the embassy and Milgrim was a “mission organiser” who organised trips to Israel, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. 

The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, from Chicago, was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said.

“When he was taken into custody, the man began chanting, ‘free, free Palestine,’” Smith said.

Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said the victims were a young couple about to be engaged, and that Lischinsky had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem.

In a statement, the embassy said it was ”heartbroken and devastated” by the murder of the couple.

Reaction 

Many reactions to the shooting have labelled it an antisemitic attack. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed “wild incitement against the State of Israel” and promised to increase security for diplomatic missions. 

“I have instructed to enhance security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and to increase protection for state representatives,” he said.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said today that “incitement” from European countries had led to the murder of the embassy staff members. 

“There is a direct line connecting antisemitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder,” he said.

“This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and international organisations, especially from Europe.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has condemned the “horrific gun attack” in a post on X. 

“My deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of the couple, and the Israeli people. There can be absolutely no place for violence or hate.”

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that the shooting was “clearly an antisemitic murder”. 

He also said an Irish diplomat was attending the event at the museum. 

US Attorney general Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the US attorney in Washington and whose office would prosecute the case.

“These horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” president Donald Trump posted on social media.

“Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!”

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Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by the scenes in Washington.

He said: “This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy. Our hearts are with the loved ones of those murdered, and our immediate prayers are with the injured. I send my full support to the Ambassador and all the embassy staff.”

He added: “We stand with the Jewish community in DC and across the US. America and Israel will stand united in defence of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us.”

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he was “shocked” by the killings.

“There is no justification for antisemitic violence,” Wadephul posted on X.

The shooting comes more than a year and a half into Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in Palestine, which was sparked by the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023. 

Israel’s war has killed over 50,000 Palestinians and its blocking of aid entering the area has prompted warnings of widespread starvation. 

Witness accounts 

Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said.

Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realising he was the suspect.

When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “free Palestine,’” Kalin said.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin said.

“How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington said in a statement that they are horrified by the shooting and “mourn the loss of the two individuals killed in the attack”.

“Our hearts are with their families and loved ones, and with all of those who are impacted by this tragic act of antisemitic violence,” the federation said.

Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was one of the local nonprofits in Washington awarded funding from a $500,000 grant programme to increase its security.

The museum’s leaders were concerned because it is a Jewish organisation and due to its new LGBTQ exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington.

“We recognise that there are threats associated with this as well,” executive director Beatrice Gurwitz told the TV station.

“And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington chief executive Gil Preuss said in a statement that he was horrified by the shooting and mourned the loss of the two people killed.

“Our hearts are with their families and loved ones, and with all of those who are impacted by this tragic act of antisemitic violence,” he said.

With reporting from AFP and Press Association 

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