DIDPress: Two employees of the Israeli embassy were killed in a targeted shooting near the Jewish Museum in Washington.
Two Israeli embassy staff members were killed in a targeted shooting near the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The attacker, shouting “Free Palestine,” was arrested by the police.
According to D.C. police, the incident occurred around 9:00 PM local time, near the FBI headquarters and the Jewish Museum.
The victims, a man and a woman, had just attended a cultural event and were shot after leaving the museum.
Several other Israeli embassy staff members were also injured in the attack, reported CBC News.
Israeli Army Radio, quoting the Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., reported that two of the embassy’s employees in Washington were killed, and described the incident as a terrorist attack.
The Chief of Police in Washington said the shooter, identified as “Elyas Rodriguez,” approached three individuals without warning and began shooting. He is currently in custody, and investigations into his motives and possible connections to extremist groups are underway.
Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, described the attack a “terrorist and anti-Semitic act” and urged U.S. security agencies to take decisive action against those responsible for this crime.
Beatrice Gurwitz, Executive Director of the Jewish Museum, had previously warned in an interview with NBC that threats against Jewish institutions were on the rise.