2 Israeli Embassy staff killed in shooting near Capital Jewish Museum in D.C., officials say

Two Israeli Embassy staff were fatally shot at close range while leaving a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum in D.C., on Wednesday night, the embassy's spokesperson in Washington Tal Naim Cohen told Axios.The big picture: The suspect chanted "free Palestine" while being taken into custody, said D.C. police chief Pamela Smith at a briefing. Officials at the briefing said the fatally shot man had planned to propose to his partner, who was also killed in the shooting.Police named the suspect as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, of Chicago, Illinois.President Trump offered his condolences to the victims' families in a Truth Social post early Thursday. "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA," he said.The latest: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has ordered the strengthening of security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and for state representatives, per a Thursday morning statement posted to his office's X account.Details: Smith said police were alerted just after 9pm Wednesday about a shooting in the area around the museum in downtown D.C. that comprises other institutions, government buildings including the FBI's Washington Field Office and tourist attractions."Prior to the shooting, the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum," Smith said.The suspect approached four people and opened fire using a handgun, fatally striking the young man and woman, according to Smith."The suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security," Smith said.Zoom in: The FBI assisted on the scene and its Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on X early Thursday that the suspect was being interviewed by the Metropolitan Police Department with the Bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force team while he, the U.S. Attorney's office and other officials were "reviewing the evidence to determine additional actions."He added, "Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence."Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X late Wednesday that she was on the scene of the shooting with Jeanine Pirro, interim U.S. Attorney for D.C., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on the platform that her department was "actively investigating" the killings.Zoom out: The American Jewish Committee was hosting at the museum the annual Young Diplomats Reception, which "brings together Jewish young professionals ... and the D.C. diplomatic community for an evening dedicated to fostering unity and celebrating Jewish heritage," per a post by the Jewish advocacy group advertising the event.What they're saying: Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter said at the briefing that the "young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem," calling them a "beautiful couple."He added: "We are a resilient people. The people of Israel are resilient people and the people of the United States of America are resilient people."Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, in a post to X called the shooting "a depraved act of antisemitic terrorism" and said harming the Jewish community "is crossing a red line."Cohen said Israeli officials had "full faith in law enforcement authorities on both the local and federal levels to apprehend the shooter and protect Israel's representatives and Jewish communities throughout the United States."D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the briefing, "We will not tolerate any 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."Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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