Two Israeli embassy employees were shot dead outside the Jewish Museum in downtown Washington, officials said.
The victims, a man and a woman, were shot as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, sources told CBS, adding that the incident appeared to be a targeted killing.
The shooting occurred at 9:05 p.m. local time near 3rd and F streets NW, an area packed with tourist attractions, museums and government buildings, including the FBI’s Washington regional office. According to reports, several Israeli embassy employees were attending an event at the museum at the time of the shooting.
“Two Israeli embassy employees were senselessly murdered tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington. Our prayers go out to the victims’ families. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on the X platform.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations called the incident a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”
“The attack on diplomats and the Jewish community is a red line crossed. We believe that the US authorities will take decisive action against those responsible for this criminal act,” Ambassador Danny Danon wrote on X.
The incident prompted a large police response and the closure of several key streets in the city. Local media reported that the victims were a man and a woman, but their names have not yet been released.
An Israeli embassy spokesman confirmed that two employees were shot “at close range” while attending an event at the museum.
“We have full confidence in local and federal authorities to apprehend the attacker and protect representatives of Israel and the Jewish community across the United States,” spokesman Tal Naim Cohen said.
According to US media, the Israeli ambassador was not present at the museum event at the time of the shooting. The Georgetown University campus on Capitol Hill was also under lockdown, according to CBS.
“When we went to leave, the police and security were down there telling us we couldn’t leave the building. And they’re still here telling us we couldn’t leave,” said one student, who was blocked off for more than an hour.
Ted Deutch, director of the American Jewish Committee, said his organization hosted the event where the attack occurred.
“We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence occurred outside the event venue. At this time, as we await more information from the police about exactly what happened, our thoughts and our hearts are with the injured and their families.”
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said on X that the attack was “a horrific act of terrorism that the people of Israel are waking up to this morning.”
The Capital Jewish Museum, like many other Jewish institutions in the United States, has faced security concerns amid rising anti-Semitism.
“Jewish institutions across the city, across the country, are concerned about security because of the very frightening incidents that some institutions have experienced and the general climate of anti-Semitism,” museum director Beatrice Gurwitz told NBC News in a separate report before Wednesday’s attack.
The museum recently received a grant to improve security, in part because of a new LGBT pride exhibit.
“We recognize that there are threats,” Gurwitz said. “And, again, we want to make sure that our space is as open and safe as possible for everyone who comes here as we investigate these stories.”
Pamela Smith, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department, said a suspect is in custody.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that both victims were leaving an event at the Capitol Jewish Museum, located in the 500 block of Third Street Northwest, when the shooting occurred. We believe the shooting was committed by a single suspect who is now in custody. Prior to the shooting, the suspect was seen pacing back and forth in front of the museum,” Smith said.
Smith added that the suspect “approached a group of four people, pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting two people. After the shooting, Smith said the suspect entered the museum and was detained by event security.
“The suspect chanted ‘Free, free Palestine’ while in custody,” Smith said.
Elias Rodriguez has been identified as the suspect in a shooting near the Jewish Museum of the Capital in Washington, D.C., this morning.
Rodriguez is 30 years old and from Chicago, authorities confirmed. Police also confirmed that he had no prior contact with law enforcement.
