Israeli embassy staffers shot dead near Washington DC’s Capital Jewish Museum
The father of an Israeli embassy worker who was shot dead alongside her boyfriend in Washington DC has described his daughter’s efforts to bring aid to Gaza. Watch the video.
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The father of the bride-to-be who was killed along with her boyfriend near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, said his daughter was working to bring Israeli-Palestinian peace and more aid to Gaza. Robert Milgrim, 73, said he was heartbroken to learn that his daughter, Sarah Milgrim, 26, and her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky were killed likely because of their work with the Israeli Embassy. “Last night, she was attending an affair to figure out how to get more aid into Gaza,” Milgrim told The New York Post.
Armed FBI agents clad in tactical gear stormed a Chicago apartment building reportedly connected to suspected terrorist Elias Rodriguez, who allegedly gunned down two Israeli Embassy workers in Washington, DC, last night.
Video posted by NBC Chicago shows at least eight agents wearing camouflage and armed with rifles entering the front gates of the apartment building on a leafy green street in Chicago’s East Albany Park neighbourhood.
The suspect who gunned down two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington DC shouted “Free, free Palestine” as he was being arrested, while the two victims have been identified.
Footage taken by witnesses showed the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Chicago resident Elias Rodriguez, shouting “Free, free Palestine” repeatedly as he was taken into custody.
It comes as the Israeli embassy named the victims, a young couple about to be engaged, as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
Gunfire erupted outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington near the embassy as the couple was leaving an event shortly after 9pm local time, authorities said during a press conference.
After the alleged gunman pulled the trigger, he entered the museum where he was apprehended, police said.
🚨Attack upon Jews in Washington DC!
— (((Yuval David))) (@YuvalDavid) May 22, 2025
Two Israeli Diplomat staff from @IsraelinUSA were shot and killed outside the @AJCGlobal Young Diplomats event at the @CapJewishMuseum and just before that a man barged into the building yelling “Free Palestine.†pic.twitter.com/91V4ed1nSW
The suspect, who was apprehended by event security, was seen pacing back and forth outside the museum leading up to the shooting, DC Metro Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
He allegedly flashed a handgun in front of a group of four people before opening fire, she added.
The alleged gunman was initially mistaken for a victim of the shooting and allowed into the museum, according to witnesses.
“We heard gunshots and then a man comes in and he looks really distressed. People are talking to him and trying to calm him down,” Katie Kalisher, who said she was inside the Capital Jewish Museum when the attack happened, told US media.
“Eventually, he comes over to where I was seated, and I was literally like ‘do you need any water? Are you OK?’”
The man was then detained after he produced a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf from his bag and claimed responsibility for the shooting, witnesses said.
“’I did it. I did this for Gaza’,” Kalisher quoted him as saying.
An Israeli Embassy spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News that the two staffers were shot at “close range.”
The slain boyfriend planned to propose to his girlfriend next week, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said.
The young man bought the ring this week and planned on popping the question in Jerusalem, he said.
“I will say this, we are a resilient people,” Leiter said.
“People of Israel are resilient people. The United States of America are a resilient people.
“We will confront this moral depravity without fear and with determination, and now we’ll turn to taking care of the families of these two victims,” he added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered enhanced security measures at Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide.
“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 anti-Semitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump denounced the shooting on his social media platform Truth Social.
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims,” he wrote.
“So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!.”
The hate-filled shooting led to a chorus of outrage and condolences Wednesday.
“I want to start by sending our condolences to the loved ones of the victims who were senselessly a victim of these crimes. I want to provide my prayers and condolences to the museum staff and the guests who are also gathering together in fellowship,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the press briefing.
“We will not tolerate the acts of terrorism, and we’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send a clear message that we will not tolerate antisemitism,” she added.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called the shooting “a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”
“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he said on X.
“We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives — everywhere in the world.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by the violence.
“This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy,” he said.
The museum is located at 575 3rd St NW, near the FBI field office and the US attorney’s office. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating.
“We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue,” he said.
“At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said he is working with the Metropolitan Police Department “to respond and learn more,” he wrote in a tweet. “In the immediate, please pray for the victims and their families. We will keep the public updated as we are able.”
US Attorney General Pam Bondi and US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro were at the crime scene late Wednesday.
“Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more,” Bondi tweeted.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem vowed to bring the “depraved” shooter to justice.
“Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC,” she posted online.
“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims.”
The shooting comes amid a surge in antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
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