Two young Israeli Embassy aides were shot and killed outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington on Wednesday night by a man who shouted pro-Palestinian slogans after he was detained, according to law enforcement officials.
The close-range shooting occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on a street outside an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum, behind the F.B.I.’s Washington field office. The Capitol and the headquarters of the Justice Department and the F.B.I are nearby.
Pamela A. Smith, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters at a news conference 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, 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, 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 shooting, 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, where he was detained by security officers, they 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.”
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.
Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the F.B.I., said the suspect was being interviewed by Washington police in conjunction with the agency’s counterterrorism team. “Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence,” Mr. Bongino said on social media.
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.
The American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum was described online as a “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, said, “We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue.”
Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, said his office was working with Metropolitan Police Department officials to learn more, adding that additional 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.”
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.
Qasim Nauman and Celeste Lavin contributed reporting.
Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent for The Times, reporting on President Trump.
Glenn Thrush covers the Department of Justice for The Times and has also written about gun violence, civil rights and conditions in the country’s jails and prisons.
Chris Cameron is a Times reporter covering Washington, focusing on breaking news and the Trump administration.
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