WASHINGTON, USA — Two staff members of Israel’s embassy in the United States have been shot dead in what officials are calling a targeted attack outside a Jewish museum in Washington, DC.
The deadly incident occurred at approximately 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, near the Capital Jewish Museum, just blocks from the heart of the US capital.
Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, confirmed that one suspect—identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, Illinois—has been taken into custody.
According to Smith, the suspect was seen pacing nervously in front of the museum before approaching a small group of people and opening fire with a handgun.
Two of the individuals, both Israeli embassy staffers, were fatally struck.
The victims, a young couple, were reportedly engaged in a romantic relationship and had been making plans to marry.
“The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” said Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, who described the victims as “a beautiful couple.”
The loss, he said, was deeply personal and tragic.
Authorities revealed that Rodriguez, after being apprehended, chanted “Free, free, Palestine,” raising immediate questions about the motive behind the attack.
Investigators from multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, are now involved in what is being treated as a possible hate crime or act of terrorism.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem vowed swift justice and urged Americans to pray for the victims’ families.
The American Jewish Committee, which had hosted an event at the museum earlier in the evening, expressed devastation over the tragedy. “
Our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families,” the group said in a statement.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed she had visited the scene and pledged a thorough investigation.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, called the incident a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism,” and warned that harming the Jewish community represents a “red line.”
As law enforcement agencies continue their probe, the incident has reignited concerns over rising antisemitism and political violence in the United States.
Security has been increased around Jewish institutions nationwide.
