2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
What happened
Two young Israeli Embassy workers were fatally shot Wednesday night as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington, D.C. The suspected gunman walked into the museum after the shooting and chanted "free, free Palestine" while being detained by event security, D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference.
Who said what
Smith said D.C. police had not received any intelligence on "any type of terrorist act or hate crime" and did not see anything in the background of the suspect, Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, "that would have put him on our radar." Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said the victims, later identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were a couple on the verge of getting engaged.
Smith said Rodriguez, 31, had been seen pacing outside the museum, where the American Jewish Committee was hosting a reception for young diplomats. Police believe he targeted the event but picked his victims at random, The Washington Post said. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the shooting would "frighten a lot of people" in the U.S. and "we will not tolerate any acts of terrorism" or "violence or hate in our city."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was "shocked" by the "horrific, antisemitic" shooting and has ordered stronger security for Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide, his office said. Attorney General Pam Bondi said after visiting the scene that "all our federal agencies will work hand in hand" with D.C. police, and the perpetrator "will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
-
Zimbabwe’s driving crisisUnder the Radar Southern African nation is experiencing a ‘public health disaster’ with one of the highest road fatality rates in the world
-
The Mint’s 250th anniversary coins face a whitewashing controversyThe Explainer The designs omitted several notable moments for civil rights and women’s rights
-
‘If regulators nix the rail merger, supply chain inefficiency will persist’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How the Bondi massacre unfoldedIn Depth Deadly terrorist attack during Hanukkah celebration in Sydney prompts review of Australia’s gun control laws and reckoning over global rise in antisemitism
-
Sole suspect in Brown, MIT shootings found deadSpeed Read The mass shooting suspect, a former Brown grad student, died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds
-
Who is fuelling the flames of antisemitism in Australia?Today’s Big Question Deadly Bondi Beach attack the result of ‘permissive environment’ where warning signs were ‘too often left unchecked’
-
Who were the ‘weekend snipers’ of Sarajevo?Under the Radar Italian authorities launch investigation into allegations far-right gun enthusiasts paid to travel to Bosnian capital and shoot civilians ‘for fun’ during the four-year siege
-
France makes first arrests in Louvre jewels heistSpeed Read Two suspects were arrested in connection with the daytime theft of royal jewels from the museum
-
Trump pardons crypto titan who enriched familySpeed Read Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from LouvreSpeed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 yearsSpeed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down
