A woman was shot at CIA headquarters early Thursday in what the agency called a “security incident” that unfolded hours after two Israeli Embassy staff members were fatally shot outside D.C.’s Jewish museum.
The non-fatal shooting happened just before 4 a.m. outside the agency’s gated entrance in McLean, Virginia, when a woman refused to follow commands at a checkpoint, the New York Post reported.
The CIA confirmed to Reuters that it took a person into custody after its security staff “engaged a person” outside the main gates. The spokesperson declined to say whether the gunfire struck the individual.
“There was a security incident that law enforcement responded to outside CIA Headquarters. The main gate is currently closed until further notice. Additional details will be made available as appropriate,” the CIA said in a statement.
Fairfax County Police are helping the CIA, a department spokesperson said.
The CIA closed the main gate at its Langley compound and directed employees to seek alternate routes.
The shooting at CIA headquarters came hours after two Israeli Embassy staff were killed in a shooting about 12 miles away outside the Capital Jewish Museum.
The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and his partner, Sarah Milgrim, were about to become engaged, according to reports.
Police say the suspect, identified as Chicago man Elias Rodriguez, 30, chanted “free, free Palestine” following his arrest over the shooting, which happened at 9.15 p.m. after they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum focused on helping Gazans.
Rodriguez, who was not previously known to police, was seen pacing outside the museum before the attack.
“Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offense,” Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said.
Both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have denounced the killings as antisemitism and expressed their condolences to the victim’s loved ones.
With additional reporting from Reuters.
