![Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in Washington, DC, on 21 May 2025. [IsraelinUSA/Twitter - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AA-20250522-38038842-38038841-ISRAELS_EMBASSY_IN_THE_US_HAS_POSTED_A_PHOTO_OF_THE_TWO_VICTIMS_OF_THE_SHOOTING_OVERNIGHT_IN_WASHINGTON-1.jpg?fit=920%2C614&ssl=1)
Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in Washington, DC, last night, Reuters reported. Police have arrested a suspect, officials said.
The two were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in the area of 3rd and F Streets in Northwest, a part of central Washington that is about 1.3 miles from the White House.
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said a man shot at a group of four people with a handgun, hitting both the victims. He was seen pacing outside the museum prior to the shooting.
The single suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine,” after being taken into custody, she said.
“After the shooting, the suspect entered the museum and was detained by event security,” Smith said. “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.”
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The suspect had no previous contact with police, she added.
President Donald Trump condemned the shooting. “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on anti-Semitism, must end, NOW!” he said in a message on Truth Social. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
The shootings could give political ammunition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right partners to take a harder line in the conflict in Gaza as well as generate sympathy for Israel from Western allies who were piling pressure on him to ease the aid blockade in the war-ravaged territory.
Deputy FBI Director Don Bongino said the suspect was being interviewed by the police and the FBI.
“Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence,” he said in a post on X. “Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads.”
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