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The victims were a couple about to be engaged. The man had recently purchased an engagement ring and planned to propose next week in Jerusalem.
BY Charles Bybelezer, JNS
Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed on Wednesday evening outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., according to Kristi Noem, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims,” Noem wrote on X. “We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”
The shooting reportedly occurred around 9:15 p.m. near the intersection of 3rd and F streets NW, in front of the museum, and just behind the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. embassy spokesperson Tal Naim Cohen wrote on X that the victims—a man and a woman—were shot “at close range.”
“We have 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,” said Cohen.
Police are questioning Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, who is believed to have acted alone. Following the shooting, Rodriguez reportedly entered the museum, where he was detained.
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said Wednesday night that the suspect chanted, “Free, free Palestine” as he was taken into custody.
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter revealed that the victims were a couple who were about to be engaged. The man had recently purchased an engagement ring and planned to propose next week in Jerusalem.
Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, told ABC News that his organization was hosting an event at the museum that evening.
“We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue,” Deutch said. “At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”
Danny Danon, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, condemned the incident as a “depraved act of antisemitic terrorism.”
“Harming the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” Danon wrote on X. “We are confident that U.S. authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives everywhere in the world.”
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force was involved in probing the attack, according to local media reports.
U.S. President Donald Trump extended condolences to the victims. “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” he wrote on Truth Social. “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!”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi visited the scene and said she was “praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more.”
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