WASHINGTON (AP/ KYW Newsradio) — Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said.
The stunning attack on Wednesday evening prompted Israeli missions to beef up their security and lower their flags to half-staff. It came as Israel has launched another major offensive in the Gaza Strip in a war with Hamas that has heightened tensions across the Middle East and internationally and as antisemitic acts are on the rise.
The two people killed, identified as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Milgrim, an American, were a young couple about to be engaged, according to Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S.
Lischinsky told others at an event he attended before he was killed that he was looking forward to returning to Israel to celebrate an upcoming Jewish holiday, said Ted Deutch, the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, which had put on the reception.
The couple were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the suspect, who had been seen pacing outside the museum, approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.
The gunman, identified by police as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, then walked into the museum, was detained by event security and began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said.
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” President Donald Trump posted on social media early Thursday. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
‘In cold blood’
The shooting followed the AJC's annual Young Diplomats reception at the museum.
“Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,” said Deutch, the AJC's chief executive. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.”
He described Milgrim, from Overland Park, Kansas, as “warm and compassionate, committed to peace building and passionate about sustainability and people-to-people relations." He said Lischinsky was a staff member of the embassy's political department who at the event told others that he was eager to return to Israel to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot with his family.
Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots, and a man came inside looking distressed. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh, the Palestinian headscarf, and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin said.
“This event was about humanitarian aid,” 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.”
Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was one of the local nonprofits in Washington awarded funding from a $500,000 grant program to increase its security. The museum’s leaders were concerned because it is a Jewish organization and due to its new LGBTQ exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington.
“We recognize that there are threats associated with this as well,” Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz told the TV station. “And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.”
In response to the shooting, the museum said in a statement it is “deeply saddened and horrified by the senseless violence.”
Israeli diplomats have a history of being targeted by violence, both by state-backed assailants and Palestinian militants over the decades of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict that grew out of the founding of Israel in 1948. The Palestinians seek Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, with east Jerusalem as its capital — lands Israel captured in the 1967 war. However, the peace process between the sides has been stalled for years.
Philadelphia Jewish community condemns violence
Dan Tadmor, CEO of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Center City, learned of the shooting on a train ride home from Washington for a separate event.
“This was someone so consumed with hate that he came out to kill Jews, wherever he can find them. Where do you find Jews? At a Jewish museum at a Jewish event,” he said.
Tadmor says the Philly museum is constantly in touch with local law enforcement, and he encourages visitors to come out to show support.
In a statement, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said it is “horrified” by the deadly shooting.
It reads, “Our hearts go out to the victims and to our colleagues at AJC, whose event was being held at the museum. Let us be clear — this was an act of terrorism targeting Jews and the Jewish people. We call on people of moral clarity to stand firm that this viral hatred has no place in society. The safety and security of our Jewish community is our top priority. We stand in solidarity with our partners across the country and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to protecting our community and combating antisemitism in all forms.”
Jeffrey Lasday, president and CEO of the federation, told KYW Newsradio that the shooting was "a senseless killing."
"These were peace-loving Jewish leaders," he said. "It was terrorism. It was Jewish hatred."
Lischinsky and Milgrim were set to visit Israel next week, where Lischinsky was planning to propose. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro noted that he proposed to his wife in Jerusalem, and they were married 28 years ago this week.
“Yaron and Sarah should have had the same opportunity,” Shapiro said, “and a life together far beyond what their murderer cut short. This latest incident of antisemitism has no place in our civil society and all people have a responsibility to speak and act with the moral clarity this moment demands — this type of hate and violence is never justified.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy added in a statement, “Antisemitism and acts of terror have no place in our country. As incidents of bias and hate rise across the United States, we must strive to build a world that is safe and welcoming to people of all faiths and backgrounds.”
Israel’s reaction
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday he was shocked.
“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, led by former judge Jeanine Pirro, will prosecute the case.
Public records list Rodriguez as living in a modest 850-square-foot apartment on Chicago’s north side. Chicago television station WLS captured video of heavily armed law enforcement officers outside the building Thursday morning.
It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A telephone number listed in public records rang unanswered.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino wrote in a post on social media that “early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence.”