Two Israeli embassy staff members killed in US shooting
|
Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in the US capital have been shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police say.
The two victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night when the 30-year-old suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith told reporters.
“When he was taken into custody, the man began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said he was shocked by the “horrific, anti-Semitic” shooting, adding that “we are witnessing the terrible price of anti-Semitism and wild incitement against Israel”.
Netanyahu said he had instructed Israeli missions worldwide to beef up security.
Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said the two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged, saying the man had bought a ring with the intent to propose next week in Jerusalem.
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!”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was devastated by the scenes in Washington, saying it was “a despicable act of hatred, of anti-Semitism”.
“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.”
The shooting comes as Israel has launched a new campaign targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war that has set tensions aflame across the wider Middle East.
The war began with the Palestinian militant group Hamas coming out of Gaza on October 7, 2023, to kill 1200 people and take some 250 hostages back to the coastal enclave.
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 went 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,” he 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 it was horrified by the shooting, adding that “our hearts are with their families and loved ones, and with all of those who are impacted by this tragic act of anti-Semitic violence”.
Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was among the non-profits in Washington awarded funding to increase its security amid concerns over it being a Jewish organisation and because it has a new LGBTQI exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington.
AP
