Two staffers at the Israeli Embassy in D.C. were shot dead outside a Jewish Museum event. The suspect chanted “Free, Free Palestine” when arrested, and reportedly is a far left activist from Chicago.
As with all such breaking news, sometimes initial reports are inaccurate, so use caution. We will only post information we believe to be reliable.
CNN reports on the basics of the attack:
Two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed by a gunman who later yelled “Free Palestine!” while being arrested in Washington, DC, Wednesday night, authorities said.The slain staffers, who the Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs named as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were a couple who officials say were soon to be engaged.The two were attending an event for young professionals at the Capital Jewish Museum hosted by the American Jewish Committee. At around 9 p.m. outside the museum, they were approached by a gunman who opened fire and killed them, officials said.The suspect, whom DC police identified as 30-year-old Chicago native Elias Rodriguez, pretended to be a bystander after the shooting, an eyewitness told CNN.When police arrived, the man turned himself in and shouted “Free, Free Palestine” while being handcuffed. He is currently in custody, according to authorities. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said the man “implied that he committed the offense.”
The NY Times adds:
Israel’s foreign ministry identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. Mr. Lischinsky, 30 was a research assistant in the political department at the embassy and Ms. Milgrim, 26, organized trips to Israel, according to the ministry.Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador, said at the news conference that the two people killed were a couple about to be engaged. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” he said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was “outraged” by the killings and had ordered stronger security for Israeli diplomatic missions around the world, his office said. He described the killings as a product of antisemitism that some Israeli officials said had been rising since the Israeli military went to war against Hamas in Gaza following the militant group’s deadly attack on Oct. 7, 2023.“This is the direct result of toxic antisemitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world that has been going on since the Oct. 7 massacre,” Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, said at a news conference in Jerusalem on Thursday.
[This post has been updated throughout the day]
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