Washington DC shooting latest: Suspect in custody after two Israeli embassy staff killed near Jewish museum

Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs has named the first victim of last night’s attack as Yaron Lischinsky, 28, a political analyst who worked at the Israeli embassy in D.C.

According to The Times of Israel, Lischinsky had a master’s degree in Government, Diplomacy and Strategy from Reichman University and a bachelor’s in International Relations from Hebrew University.

“I’m an ardent believer in the vision that was outlined in the Abraham Accords and believe that expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbors and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the State of Israel and the Middle East as a whole,” he wrote in a post on his LinkedIn page.

“ To this end, I advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding.”

The second victim, Lischinsky’s partner, who was also a staffer at the embassy, has not yet been named.

The Israeli Heritage Foundation has posted a picture of him with President Isaac Herzog last year:

Yoni Kalin, who was inside the museum at the time of the shooting, has said the event attended by the victims was about humanitarian aid in Gaza.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Mr 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.”

As we reported earlier, the event was called the Young Diplomats Reception, and was described as a bringing together of Jewish professionals between the ages of 22 and 45 and the Washington diplomatic community.

Mr Kalin and Katie Kalisher heard gunshots before a man came inside looking distressed, they said.

He 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 and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,”‘ Mr Kalin said.

Germany’s foreign minister expressed his shock at the killing of two members of staff from the Israeli embassy in Washington DC on Wednesday night.

“Nothing can justify anti-Semitic violence. I am shocked by the dastardly murder of two employees of the Israeli Embassy in #Washington,” Johann Wadephul wrote on X on Thursday.

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote in response: “Thank you, dear friend and colleague.”

It’s currently 3am in Washington DC, meaning the shooting took place around six hours ago.

A large police presence remains around the site of the shooting, which has been cordoned off by police.

Here are some of the latest pictures:

Writing on TruthSocial, US president Donald Trump immediately condemned the shooting as antisemitism.

“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! 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!” he wrote.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.

“My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous anti-Semitic murderer,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

“I have instructed to strengthen security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and security for state representatives.”

The event at the Capital Jewish Museum was held by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that supports Israel and confronts antisemitism, according to its website.

An online invitation to the event called it the Young Diplomats Reception, describing it as a bringing together of Jewish professionals between the ages of 22 and 45 and the Washington diplomatic community.

Despite the late hour, several people gathered at the scene of the shooting, including one who knelt on the ground at the intersection with an improvised Israeli flag draped over his shoulders.

Aaron Shemtov, who is studying at a rabbinical college in California, said he came to the museum to show support after hearing of the shooting.

“When a member of the community gets murdered and gets killed for who he is, we stand proud, we stand strong, and we never give up,” Shemtov said.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who was also at the scene, said the couple had attended his Washington synagogue occasionally.

The young couple was shot near 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 (2 km) 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, the police chief 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 offence.”

Mr Rodriguez had no previous contact with police, she added.

Two Israeli embassy staff fatally shot by a lone gunman outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC were a young couple about to become engaged, officials have said.

The two were shot and killed in the area of 3rd and F Streets in Northwest, a part of central Washington that is about 1.3 miles (2 km) from the White House.

Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., told reporters the young man killed had “purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.”