On Wednesday evening, two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC—Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim—were shot dead outside the Capital Jewish Museum after attending an event. According to police, the assailant, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, opened fire on a group of four before entering the museum, where he was detained by security. Upon arrest, he was heard chanting, “Free, free Palestine.”Authorities are treating the incident as a possible antisemitic hate crime, though no formal motive has been confirmed yet. The attack, which took place near the FBI field office, has prompted increased security at Israeli missions globally.Israeli officials condemned the shooting, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “horrific, antisemitic” act and a result of rising incitement. Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon described it as an act of “anti-Semitic terrorism.” The victims, reportedly a couple about to get engaged, served as embassy staff—Lischinsky as a research assistant and Milgrim as a coordinator for official visits.U.S. officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, were present at the scene. Former President Donald Trump also condemned the killings, calling for an end to antisemitic violence.
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