Moffat Mungazi
Two Israeli embassy staffers were killed by a lone gunman in Washington, DC, while leaving an event outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night, and the suspect chanted “Free Palestine” after he was taken into custody, officials said.
The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, a young couple about to get engaged, were committed to building bridges between Arabs and Jews in hopes of ending bloodshed in the Middle East, according to people who knew them and advocacy groups they belonged to.
Israeli embassies around the world immediately stepped up security.
Israel faces sustained international condemnation for its escalating Gaza military offensive, while Jewish advocacy groups have warned of a rise in antisemitic incidents globally.
Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said a man shot at a group of four people with a handgun, hitting both the victims. He was seen pacing outside the museum prior to the shooting, little more than a mile (2km) from the White House.
Smith said the single suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine” after being taken into custody by event security.
“Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offense,” Smith said, adding that he had had no previous contact with police.
FBI agents were seen at his apartment in Chicago on Thursday, where law enforcement blocked off the street.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that authorities believe the suspect acted alone.
Witness Katie Kalisher, 29, said she was among people in the museum who were chatting to a man who entered looking very scared after gunshots were heard outside when he suddenly pulled out a keffiyeh scarf. — Reuters
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