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Two Israeli embassy staffers killed in Washington shooting
The suspect had no previous contact with police, she added.
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FBI agents cordon off the scene outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead, in Washington, DC, in the early hours of May 22, 2025. (AFP/Alex Wroblewski)
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wo 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 D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, 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 United Nations, 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.
The targeted event appeared to be a reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for Jewish young professionals and the Washington diplomatic community.
The evening was "dedicated to fostering unity and celebrating Jewish heritage," with an invitation to the event saying the location would be "shared upon registration."
The museum is in downtown Washington, close to the US Capitol and just over one mile (1.6 kilometers) from the White House.
