Two Israeli embassy staffers shot dead outside Jewish museum in Washington
Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered security be beefed up at Israeli embassies worldwide after a couple was shot dead outside a Jewish museum, as he and Donald Trump labelled it an act of anti-Semitism.
Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead while leaving an event at a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine” after he was arrested, authorities said.
US President Donald Trump quickly condemned the attack, saying: “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on anti-Semitism, must end, NOW!”
“Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA,” he posted on social media.
The shooting – on Wednesday evening local time (Thursday AEST) – took place near the Capital Jewish Museum.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered enhanced security measures at Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide after the “horrific, anti-Semitic” incident.
“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 wild incitement against Israel. The blood libels against Israel are costing blood and must be combatted to the bitter end.”
The two victims – identified as couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim – were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, she said.
He was arrested when he went inside the museum, told officers where he had discarded the gun and implied that he committed the shooting, Chief Smith said.
When he was taken into custody, the suspect began chanting “Free, free Palestine”, Chief Smith said. She said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.
Victims about to get engaged
Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said the man and woman who were killed were a couple. The man had purchased a ring this week and was planning to propose next week in Jerusalem.
“We are a resilient people,” Mr Leiter said at the news briefing. “Together we won’t be afraid and we will stand and we will overcome moral depravity of people who think they are going to achieve political gains through murder.”
Mr Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Ms Milgrim, an American, were “in the prime of their lives”, the Israeli embassy said on social media.
“This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC,” the post on X said.
“The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss.”
Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives.
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) May 22, 2025
This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC.
The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words… pic.twitter.com/2HytKDp8Fr
Mr Lischinsky was a research assistant at the embassy, and Ms Milgrim organised visits and missions to Israel.
‘Terror and hate will not break us’
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by the incident.
“This is a despicable act of hatred, of anti-Semitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy,” Mr Herzog said. “America and Israel will stand united in defence of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attributed the killings to a wave of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel “incitement”, saying European governments were also to blame.
“There is a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder,” Mr Saar told a press conference on Thursday.
“This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and international organisations, especially from Europe.”
We are shocked and horrified this morning by the news of the brutal terrorist attack that claimed the lives of two of our Embassy staff members in Washington — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 22, 2025
May their memory be a blessing.
We embrace the grieving families during this… pic.twitter.com/14f2AMvGIF
Israel has come under increasing diplomatic pressure in recent days, particularly from European countries, over its conduct of the war in Gaza and the dire humanitarian situation there.
Mr Saar said flags at the ministry’s headquarters and at missions around the world would fly at half-mast, adding that Israel “will not surrender to terrorism”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “This was a brazen act of cowardly, anti-Semitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice.”
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi, who visited the crime scene, said: “We will follow the facts. We will follow the law, and this defendant will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media: “Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight.”
Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC. We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims.
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 22, 2025
We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.
Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, wrote in a post on social media that “early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence”.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon labelled the shooting an act of anti-Semitism.
“The fatal shooting that took place outside the event that took place at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. — in which Israeli embassy employees were also injured — is a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism,” Mr Danon said.
“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line.
“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.”
Suspect repeatedly yelled ‘free Palestine’
Chief Smith said officers responded to multiple calls of a shooting near the museum about 9pm on Wednesday (11am Thursday AEST).
When authorities arrived at the scene, a man and a woman were found unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, both were pronounced dead.
Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said.
Mr 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”, Mr Kalin said.
“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Mr 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.”
A video clip circulating on social media showed a young bearded man in a jacket and white shirt shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was led away by police.
Capital Jewish Museum’s young diplomats event
The Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum focuses on Jewish life in the Washington region, according to its website. The museum was hosting a “Young Diplomats Reception” on Wednesday night with the American Jewish Committee.
“This special event brings together Jewish young professionals and the DC diplomatic community for an evening dedicated to fostering unity and celebrating Jewish heritage,” according to an invitation for the event.
American Jewish Committee chief executive Ted Deutch said in a statement: “We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue.”
The museum recently reported security concerns and was the recipient of a grant to offset security costs, according to NBC4 Washington.
“Jewish institutions all around town, all around the country, are concerned about security due to some very scary incidents that some institutions have faced and because of a climate of anti-Semitism,” the museum’s executive director, Beatrice Gurwitz, told NBC4 in a story published earlier this week.
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.
The Wall Street Journal/Agencies
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