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Israeli embassy workers killed in Washington DC: what we all know to this point …
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Two members of Israeli embassy workers have been killed by as they left an occasion on the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC on Wednesday night time
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Washington Metropolitan police chief Pamela Smith stated a person shot at a gaggle of 4 individuals with a handgun, hitting each the victims. He was seen pacing exterior the museum previous to the taking pictures
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The suspect has been tentatively recognized as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, and authorities stated he had no earlier contact with the police. Smith claimed he shouted “Free, free Palestine” after being taken into custody
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the sufferer’s lives had been “minimize quick by a heinous antisemitic assassin”
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US president Donald Trump described the killings as “horrible” and “based mostly clearly on antisemitism”, saying “hatred and radicalism haven’t any place within the USA”
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Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, advised reporters the 2 victims had been a younger couple who had been set to get engaged
Key occasions
In a press release on social media concerning the Washington DC taking pictures of two Israeli embassy workers, the Israeli minister of diaspora and combating antisemitism Amichai Chikli has claimed that French president Emmanuel Macron, UK prime minister Keir Starmer, and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney have “emboldened the forces of terror.”
Posting to X, previously referred to as Twitter, Chikli stated he was “shocked and heartbroken by the brutal homicide”, and needed to thank US president Donald Trump for “his swift and unequivocal condemnation of this heinous act.”
Chikli continued:
The terrorist reportedly shouted “Free Palestine” earlier than opening fireplace. Allow us to be completely clear: “Free Palestine” will not be a cry for liberty – it’s a cry for homicide. That was confirmed in blood at this time.
This slogan, parroted by activists, lecturers, and influencers, has turn into a banner not for peace however for hatred, violence, and the demonization of the Jewish state. Anybody who makes use of it now, within the wake of this assault, isn’t just echoing antisemitism – they’re legitimizing the homicide of Jews and Israelis.
We should additionally maintain to account the irresponsible leaders within the West who give backing to this hatred – whether or not by way of appeasement, double requirements, or silence. French president Emmanuel Macron, British prime minister Keir Starmer, and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney have all, in numerous methods, emboldened the forces of terror by way of their failure to attract ethical purple strains. This cowardice has a worth – and that worth is paid in Jewish blood.
On Monday Starmer, Macron and Carney launched a joint assertion during which they stated they strongly opposed “the growth of Israel’s navy operations in Gaza” and stated “the extent of human struggling in Gaza is insupportable.”
The assertion described Israel’s resolution to let in a restricted quantity of humanitarian help as “wholly insufficient”, whereas calling on Hamas to launch all the remaining hostages which were held because the 7 October assault in 2023. The shock assault inside southern Israel killed over 1,000 individuals, with greater than 50,000 Palestinians reported killed by Israel’s subsequent navy assault on Hamas in Gaza.
Reuters has spoken to Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who was on the scene, and advised the information company that the 2 victims had attended his Washington synagogue often. He stated “It’s very unhappy to see that as a substitute of those individuals coming to the final word celebration of their life – they had been about to get engaged – they get shot lifeless on the street simply due to who they’re.”
Here’s a transcript of a part of the briefing earlier by Washington Metropolitian police chief Pamela Smith. She advised the media:
At roughly 9.08pm tonight, we obtained a number of requires a taking pictures within the space of third St and F St NW. Officers positioned one grownup male and one grownup feminine, unconscious and never respiration on the scene. DC fireplace and EMS responded, and regardless of all life saving efforts, each victims succumbed to their accidents.
The preliminary investigation signifies that each victims had been exiting an occasion on the Capitol Jewish Museum, positioned within the 500 block of third St NW when the taking pictures occurred.
We imagine the taking pictures was dedicated by a single suspect who’s now in custody. Previous to the taking pictures, the suspect was noticed pacing backwards and forwards exterior of the museum. He approached a gaggle of 4 individuals produced a handgun and opened fireplace, placing each of our decedents.
After the taking pictures, the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by occasion safety. As soon as in handcuffs, the suspect recognized the place he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he dedicated the offense.
The suspect chanted “Free, free Palestine” whereas in custody. The suspect has been tentatively recognized as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, Illinois.
Israeli embassy workers killed in Washington DC: what we all know to this point …
-
Two members of Israeli embassy workers have been killed by as they left an occasion on the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC on Wednesday night time
-
Washington Metropolitan police chief Pamela Smith stated a person shot at a gaggle of 4 individuals with a handgun, hitting each the victims. He was seen pacing exterior the museum previous to the taking pictures
-
The suspect has been tentatively recognized as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, and authorities stated he had no earlier contact with the police. Smith claimed he shouted “Free, free Palestine” after being taken into custody
-
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the sufferer’s lives had been “minimize quick by a heinous antisemitic assassin”
-
US president Donald Trump described the killings as “horrible” and “based mostly clearly on antisemitism”, saying “hatred and radicalism haven’t any place within the USA”
-
Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, advised reporters the 2 victims had been a younger couple who had been set to get engaged
Germany’s international minister has expressed shock on the killing of two members of workers from the Israeli embassy in Washington DC on Wednesday night time, Reuters experiences.
“Nothing can justify antisemitic violence. I’m shocked by the dastardly homicide of two workers of the Israeli embassy in #Washington,” Johann Wadephul wrote on social media.
Netanyahu blames shootings on ‘wild incitement’ in opposition to Israel
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “shocked by the horrific antisemitic homicide” of the 2 Israeli embassy workers, his workplace has stated in a publish on X.
The assertion stated he had spoken with Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and US lawyer common Pam Bondi. The assertion added:
We’re witnessing the horrible worth of antisemitism and wild incitement in opposition to the State of Israel. The blood libels in opposition to Israel are rising in blood and have to be fought to the bitter finish.
He stated safety at embassies around the globe and for Israeli representatives can be elevated.
The Jewish Capital Museum has stated in a press release that it’s “deeply saddened and horrified by the mindless violence exterior the Museum this night.”
CNN experiences that the American Jewish Committee (AJC) was holding an occasion for younger Jewish professionals on the night time the taking pictures occurred.
The “Younger Diplomats Reception”, which was sold-out, was described on its Eventbrite web page as “our largest occasion of the 12 months, bringing collectively Jewish younger professionals (ages 22–45) and the diplomatic neighborhood.”
It was organised by ACCESS, the AJC’s division for younger professionals and the theme was “turning ache into objective”.
Police chief Pamela A Smith earlier stated the lifeless couple, Israeli embassy workers members, had been leaving an occasion.
Police have named the alleged shooter as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago.
This map reveals the placement of the Capital Jewish Museum, and its proximity to the White Home and the Capitol constructing:
Listed below are some pictures from the scene of the taking pictures:

Ben Doherty
The Government Council of Australian Jewry says it’s “horrified” by the double homicide exterior the Jewish Museum in Washington DC, describing it as an obvious “act of antisemitic terror”.
In a press release, the council’s president Daniel Aghion and co-chief government Alex Ryvchin stated:
“Our deepest sympathies are with the households of the lifeless, with the Israeli diplomatic corps and the American Jewish neighborhood. We hope justice is swift and decisive.”