Two people, including an employee at the Israeli embassy in Washington, were killed early Thursday in a shooting near the Jewish Heritage Museum in the US capital, ABC News reported, citing security sources.
Sources confirmed that the two victims were affiliated with a foreign embassy, and at least one of them is believed to have been an employee of the Israeli embassy. The US Secretary of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that two Israeli embassy employees were killed in the incident.
Washington, D.C., police identified the suspect in the shooting near the Jewish Museum as Elias Rodriguez, 30.
Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith explained that Rodriguez was seen wandering outside the museum prior to the attack, before being later arrested by security personnel.
The commander noted that the suspect shouted "Freedom for Palestine" during his arrest, in what appeared to be a political statement accompanying the attack.
US media outlets earlier reported, citing security sources, that two people were killed in a shooting near the Jewish Museum, before the identity of the second victim was revealed. Initial information indicates that the two victims were a man and a woman.
NBC quoted officials as saying that the suspected shooter shouted "Freedom for Palestine" as he was arrested.
Trump classifies the incident as anti-Semitic
US President Donald Trump offered his condolences to the families of the two victims, saying on Truth Social, "The shooting was motivated by anti-Semitism. The horrific murders in Washington, D.C., which were undoubtedly motivated by anti-Semitism, must end immediately. Hate and extremism have no place in the United States, and it's sad that such things happen."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the incident "shows hatred and anti-Semitism that claimed the lives of Israeli embassy employees."
Sa'ar: Israel's representatives are "always in danger"
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the incident as a "brazen act of cowardly, anti-Semitic violence" and pledged to pursue those responsible and bring them to justice.
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that Israel's representatives "are always in danger, and especially at this time, they are in increased danger."
In a quick comment on the incident, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, described the harm done to diplomats and the Jewish community as "crossing a red line."
He added that the deadly shooting outside the Jewish Museum in Washington was an "anti-Semitic act of terrorism," as he put it.
Danon confirmed that among the injured were Israeli embassy employees, expressing his confidence that the authorities would take strict action against those responsible for this criminal act.
The Israeli embassy in the United States confirmed that a number of its employees were injured in a shooting incident that occurred near the Jewish Museum in Washington.
The embassy explained that the incident resulted in injuries among its employees, noting that US authorities are taking the incident seriously and taking the necessary measures, according to Israeli media reports.
An Israeli Army Radio correspondent reported that the perpetrator of the killing of Israeli embassy employees in Washington was wearing a keffiyeh during the incident and shouted "Freedom for Palestine" while carrying out the attack.
שתף את דעתך
Two Israeli embassy employees killed in Washington shooting