2 Israeli Embassy staffers killed in Washington, suspect shouted ‘Free Palestine’, Netanyahu says…

Two Israeli embassy staff members were shot at close range on Wednesday evening while attending a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

A man and a woman were fatally shot near 3rd and F Streets in Northwest Washington, D.C., close to the Capital Jewish Museum, an FBI field office and the US Attorney’s Office, stated a Reuters report.

Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith stated that a lone suspect, observed pacing outside the museum prior to the incident, is in custody. Smith informed that the attacker approached a group of four people and produced a handgun and started shooting, “striking both the deceased.”

She added that the suspect chanted “Free Palestine, Free Palestine,” in custody, she said, adding that the “suspect has been tentatively identified as 30-years-old of Elias Rodrigues from Chicago.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the incident. Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a statement said, “I am devastated by the scenes in Washington DC. This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy.”

Netanyahu statement

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.

Netanyahu said he had instructed Israeli missions around the world to beef up security.

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