Officials said that the shooting occurred near an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. A suspect, who expressed solidarity with Palestine, is in custody.
Two young Israeli Embassy aides were shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington on Wednesday night by a man who shouted pro-Palestine slogans after he was detained, according to law enforcement officials.
The close-range shooting occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on a downtown street outside an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, in the heart of official Washington, behind the F.B.I.’s Washington field office and near the Capitol, Justice Department and F.B.I. headquarters.
Pamela A. Smith, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters at a late-night news conference at police headquarters that the man exclaimed, “Free, free Palestine,” after he was in custody. He also informed police of the location of a gun.
Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador, told reporters at a news conference that the two people killed were a young 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, calling them a “beautiful couple.”
“I will say this: We are a resilient people,” he added. “The people of Israel are resilient people and the people of the United States of America are resilient people.”
The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was detained shortly after the shootings, law enforcement officials said. The victims’ names were not immediately released.
On social media President Trump wrote: “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!”
The shooting occurred at a time of heightened tension in both Israel and the United States, following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas inside Israel and Israel’s subsequent military campaign against Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protests have been intense on college campuses, outside embassies and elsewhere; the Israeli embassy in Washington has been a particular focus of protesters.
Police officials said a single suspect seen pacing in front of the museum before the shooting was responsible for the attack. He approached four people who were leaving the event, shooting the two victims, and then walked into the museum, they said, where he was detained by security officers.
Ms. Smith said it was not immediately clear why he walked into the museum after the shooting and what plans he may have had. Mr. Rodriguez had not been previously identified as a threat in Washington, officials added.
The “horrific incident is going to frighten a lot of people in our city and in our country,” Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington said. “I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate in our city. We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we are going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks” against antisemitism.
Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that she had spoken to Mr. Trump multiple times to update him on the episode. “On behalf of the president, his prayers are with all of us all within the Jewish community,” she said.
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy, wrote on social media before the news conference that the two staff members were shot “at close range.”
The American Jewish Committee event at the Jewish Museum was described online as an “AJC ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception,” intended to bring together “Jewish young professionals” between the ages of 22 and 45, as well as the Washington diplomatic community.
“We are excited to introduce this year’s theme: turning pain into purpose,” the group stated in the online invitation, which said the event would feature members of groups working to respond to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Ted Deutch, the American Jewish Committee’s chief executive, confirmed that his group hosted the event and said, “We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue.” He said the group’s officials were thinking “solely” of the injured and their families.
Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, said his office was working with Metropolitan Police Department officials to learn more, adding that more updates would come as information became available.
Officials at the F.B.I. Washington field office posted on social media that “there is no ongoing threat to public safety.”
Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said in an interview with CNN that he believed the attack was an act of antisemitism.
“There’s no coincidence there,” he said, adding that it was unfortunately a “successful” attack.
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, posted on social media: “This sickening shooting seems to be another horrific instance of antisemitism which as we know is all too rampant in our society. I’m praying for those who were killed, all those affected, and their families.
Celeste Lavin contributed reporting.
