Freddy Gray Freddy Gray

What we know about the Israeli diplomat shootings in Washington so far

The scene outside the Capital Jewish Museum, Washington where two Israeli diplomats were shot dead (Credit: Getty images)

The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was seen pacing around Washington DC’s Jewish Museum in the minutes before last night’s attack. According to Pamela Smith, DC’s chief of police, he then shouted ‘Free Palestine’ before shooting and killing two Israeli embassy staffers – a couple, named as Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who reportedly were soon to be engaged. He then walked into the museum, where he was briefly mistaken for an innocent bystander before being apprehended by the police. 

The murdered couple had been attending an event inside the building, described online as a ‘Young Diplomats Reception’ for Jewish professionals between the ages of 22 and 45. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has called it ‘a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism’. President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social media page to say:

The murders fit a pattern of increasingly rabid anti-Semitic attacks against Jews in America

These horrible D.C.

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