Two staff members from the Israeli embassy in the United States were shot and killed on Wednesday night as they left a Jewish museum in Washington, DC, prompting outrage from US and Israeli officials.
A 31-year-old man from Chicago, Illinois, named as Elias Rodriguez, has been arrested and charged with murder. On Thursday, he appeared in court in Washington, DC, for his arraignment. A preliminary hearing has been set for June 18. Rodriguez is the only suspect.
President Donald Trump condemned the shooting as “horrible”, stating there was no place for “hatred” in the US. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “devastated” by what had unfolded in the US capital.
“This is a despicable act of hatred, of anti-Semitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy,” he said.
Kristi Noem, secretary of Homeland Security, said federal authorities were investigating the incident and would bring its “depraved perpetrator” to justice. Jeanine Pirro, the interim US attorney for Washington, DC, said the killings were being investigated as a “hate crime and a crime of terrorism”.
Here is what we know so far:
What is known about the shooting?
Officers responded to multiple calls about a shooting near the Capital Jewish Museum at about 9pm on Wednesday (01:00 GMT Thursday).
The victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event at the museum, which is in the area of 3rd and F streets in Northwest, Washington, DC, close to an FBI field office and the US attorney general’s office, when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.
First responders found the victims unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts, both were pronounced dead.
According to police, the suspect entered the museum after the shooting and was detained by security personnel at the event.
“Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offence,” Smith said.
What do we know about the victims?
The two were named by the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
Lischinsky was Israeli. A German diplomatic source told the AFP news agency that Lischinsky also held a German passport.
Milgrim was an American citizen. Both worked at the Israeli embassy.
The Israeli ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, told reporters the young staffers were a couple “about to be engaged”.
“The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” Leiter revealed.
What do we know about the suspect, Elias Rodriguez?
The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, Illinois. Following his arrest, his home was searched by police.
Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of murder, causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence.
Jeanine Pirro, the interim US Attorney who was recently appointed by President Donald Trump as federal prosecutor in Washington, told reporters the charges against Ridriguez constitute a “death penalty-eligible case”.
“We are going to continue to investigate this as a hate crime and as a crime of terrorism,” Pirro said.
Reporting from close to the site of the shooting, Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro said the suspect was not previously on the radar of local authorities.
“He was not a known entity. There was no heightened alert prior to this happening,” she said.
What do we know about the suspect’s motive?
So far, the police have not confirmed any motive.
Speaking on Thursday, Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, blamed a “toxic anti-Semitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world” since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023.
When the suspect, Elias Rodriguez, was taken into custody, he began chanting: “Free, free Palestine,” Police Chief Smith said.
Mohamad Elmasry, professor of media studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said the attacks were “awful” and were rightfully being condemned regardless of political ideology.
He said: “You have the Trump administration, Israel and some of their supporters coming out and saying that this is an act of anti-Semitism … and that could be the case, that it is just an act of naked anti-Jewish hatred, which obviously should be condemned,” Elmasry told Al Jazeera.
“But it’s also possible that Mr Rodriguez carried this act of vigilante violence out against the State of Israel, or that he’s taking out his frustrations over the genocide [in Gaza] or Israel’s apartheid policies, on these embassy staffers. That’s an important distinction, because if that’s the motive, then it requires a different course of action.”
What has been the reaction to the shooting?
“These horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” President Trump posted on social media early Thursday.
“Hatred and radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God bless you all!”
Later, Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the president’s outrage and warned of dire consequences.
“The evil of anti-Semitism must be eradicated from our society,” she said. “The Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator responsible for this to the fullest extent of the law.”
She also tied the shooting to Trump’s crackdown on anti-Semitism, which has largely focused on antiwar student protesters demonstrating against Israel’s war on Gaza.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked thousands of student visas from campuses where these pro-Hamas terrorist campus agitators and violent protests took place,” Leavitt explained.
“We’ve also withheld funding from those varied campuses as well in an effort to combat anti-Semitism. So the president has made it very clear that such hatred will have no place in our country.”
Israeli officials also strongly condemned the incident, describing it as a “despicable act of hatred”. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the shooting: “We are witnessing the terrible price of anti-Semitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel.
“I have instructed to enhance security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and to increase protection for state representatives,” Netanyahu said.
On Thursday, reactions and condolences poured in from other countries as well.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the shooting a “heinous act” in a post on X, adding that at the moment “we must assume there was an anti-Semitic motive”.
Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, said: “Shocked by the shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC. There is and should be no place in our societies for hatred, extremism, or antisemitism. I extend my condolences to the families of the victims and the people of Israel.”
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary of State David Lammy said: “Horrified by the killing of two Israeli Embassy staff in DC. We condemn this appalling, antisemitic crime. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and colleagues at this awful time.”
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said: “The murder of two members of the Israeli embassy near the Jewish Museum in Washington is an abhorrent act of antisemitic barbarity. Nothing can justify such violence. My thoughts go to their loved ones, their colleagues, and the State of Israel.”
In Ireland, the prime minister, Micheal Martin, said: “I strongly condemn the horrific gun attack that killed two Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC last night. My deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of the couple, and the Israeli people. There can be absolutely no place for violence or hate.”
Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister, said: “I stand with the State of Israel for the tragic murder of two young employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington. Scenes of terror and violence to be strongly condemned. antisemitism born of hatred against Jews must be stopped, the horrors of the past can never return.”
What has the suspect been charged with?
On Thursday, federal prosecutors announced an opening volley of charges against the suspect, Rodriguez, with promises to potentially unveil more.
Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder, murdering foreign officials, causing death with a firearm and discharging a firearm in a crime of violence.
Pirro, a former Fox News host whom Trump only recently appointed as the interim US attorney for the District of Columbia, said that Rodriguez could face further charges in coming days.
“This is a horrific crime, and these crimes are not going to be tolerated by me and by this office,” Pirro said. “We’re going to continue to investigate this as a hate crime and a crime of terrorism, and we will add additional charges as the evidence warrants.”
What will happen next?
Investigations continue into Rodriguez’s background and motives. Police cordoned off his home in Chicago, Illinois, as their probe continues.
Police Chief Smith said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community at present.
FBI Director Kash Patel said he and his team had been briefed on the shooting.
“While we’re working with [the Metropolitan Police Department] to respond and learn more, in the immediate, please pray for the victims and their families,” he wrote on X.
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters her administration would not tolerate “violence or hate in our city”.
“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 anti-Semitism,” Bowser said.
Across the Atlantic, in France, the country’s interior minister told police to “step up surveillance at sites linked to the Jewish community”. Security measures must be “visible and dissuasive”, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said in a message seen by AFP news agency.
Saar said that Israeli flags at the ministry headquarters and at missions around the world would be flown at half-mast on Thursday.
The shooting comes as Israel has launched a new military campaign in Gaza to control all of the Strip while continuing to impose an 11-week aid blockade that has been widely condemned.
Many world leaders, including allies, have demanded that Israel end the war and let aid into the war-ravaged territory or face punitive actions.
