Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Two Israeli Embassy Staff Killed Outside D.C. Jewish Museum in Targeted Shooting

The suspect, now in custody, reportedly chanted 'Free Palestine,' prompting officials to classify the attack as anti-Semitic terrorism.

Emergency personnel work at the site where, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Image
Image
The Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Overview

  • Two Israeli Embassy staffers, a man and a woman, were fatally shot at close range outside the Capital Jewish Museum during an American Jewish Committee event on Wednesday night.
  • The victims, described as a young couple engaged to be married, were leaving the museum when the suspect opened fire on them.
  • The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was detained by event security after entering the museum and chanting 'Free Palestine' while in custody.
  • U.S. and Israeli officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Ambassador Danny Danon, condemned the attack as a 'depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism' and vowed justice.
  • Security has been heightened at Jewish and diplomatic sites as local and federal authorities continue their investigation into the attack.