Washington (AFP) – Two Israeli embassy staffers, one of them an American, were shot dead outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine” as he was arrested. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led global condemnation of the attack, both of them blaming anti-Semitism. “Blood libels against Israel are paid in blood — and they must be fought relentlessly,” Netanyahu said in a statement, ordering a boost in security at Israeli embassies around the world.
Shots rang out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum, a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the White House, late Wednesday as it held an event for young professionals and diplomatic staff. Emergency vehicles remained at the scene in the early hours of Thursday after police taped off the area in the heart of the US capital. Israel identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, a US employee of the embassy, and said they were a couple who may have been planning to marry. Lischinsky was a research assistant at the Israeli embassy, while Milgrim worked for its public diplomacy department, according to their LinkedIn profiles. Lischinsky was Christian, according to The Times of Israel, for whom he had previously worked as a blogger. Germany’s foreign minister said he also held a German passport.
Washington’s police chief identified the shooter as a 30-year-old from Chicago, Elias Rodriguez, and said he was in custody. Video of his arrest by police showed the bearded man in a jacket and white shirt shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was led away. The attack came days after the museum was awarded a grant to boost security, as anti-Semitism surges worldwide since Israel’s devastating invasion of Gaza, prompted by the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants Hamas.
Witnesses reportedly said that security personnel appeared to mistake the man for a victim of the shooting and allowed him into the museum, where he was comforted by bystanders before claiming responsibility for the attack. “Some of the people at the event brought him water. They sat him down. ‘Are you OK? Were you shot? What happened?’ And he’s like ‘somebody call the cops’,” Yoni Kalin, who was in the museum, told US media. Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters that the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum before the shooting around 9:00 pm on Wednesday (0100 GMT Thursday). “He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire,” she said. First responders found a man and a woman unconscious and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts, both were pronounced dead. “After the shooting, the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security,” Smith said. She said the man told them where he discarded the gun.
“These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and the wild incitement against the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said in his statement. “My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were abruptly cut short by a despicable antisemitic murderer.” Britain and France — who have stepped up their condemnation in recent days of Israel’s actions in Gaza — as well as Germany were among those condemning the shooting. Israel’s foreign minister accused European governments of “incitement.” “There is a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder,” Gideon Saar told a press conference. “This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and international organizations, especially from Europe.”
The targeted event was an annual reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) for young Jewish professionals and the Washington diplomatic community. AJC CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement that the organization was “devastated” by the shooting. Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, who said he spoke with Trump by telephone, told reporters the young staffers were a couple about to get engaged. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” Leiter said. “They were a beautiful couple.”
© 2024 AFP
