Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late on Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman, authorities said.
President Donald Trump condemned the attack in the heart of the US capital, saying: "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!"
Shots rang out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington as the venue held a social event for young professionals and diplomatic staff.
Israel's foreign ministry identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
Lischinsky was a research assistant at the Israeli embassy, while Milgrim worked for its public diplomacy department, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
A video clip circulating on social media after the attack showed a young man in a jacket and white shirt shouting "free, free Palestine" as he was led away by police.
Police confirmed the suspected shooter walked into the museum after the attack and had been detained.
"The shooting was committed by a single suspect who is now in custody," Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters.
"Prior to the shooting, the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum. He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire.
"After the shooting, the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security." She said the handcuffed man -- whom she identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago -- told them where he had discarded the gun.
The incident comes on the heels of global concerns that Israel is forcibly starving hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza as it blocks vital aid from going in. Israel has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians in a war that rights groups say is a genocide.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now facing even criticism from European Union countries for continuing the war on Gaza.
Palestinians under attack as well
Meanwhile, Palestinians in the US are increasingly facing a wave of hostility, discrimination, and violence amid growing tensions surrounding the war in Gaza.
In 2024, 23-year-old Zacharia Doar was stabbed in what police described as a “bias-motivated” attack, while the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported that four Muslim men were assaulted following a pro-Palestine protest.
In Ohio, a 20-year-old Palestinian American was struck by a car as the driver allegedly screamed, “Kill all Palestinians” and “Die!”, underscoring the violent rhetoric that has escalated across the country in 2023.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the largest Muslim civil rights groups in the US, reported a 7.4 percent increase in incidents of discrimination and attacks against Muslims following the Israeli war on Gaza.
In a report released in March on incidents last year, CAIR noted that 2024 saw the highest number of complaints on anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents, totalling 8,658.
Employment discrimination made up 15.4 percent of the complaints, followed by immigration and asylum issues at 14.8 percent.
Complaints involving discrimination against Muslim and Palestinian students accounted for 9.8 percent, while hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs represented 7.5 percent.
The report identified Israel’s attacks on Gaza as the primary factor behind the increase in incidents.
It also highlighted that anti-Muslim, anti-Arab sentiment, and antisemitism had all surged in the US.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a US permanent legal resident and recent Columbia University graduate who helped lead an anti-war pro-Palestinian encampment on campus in April 2024, was highlighted as another case of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab actions.
The United States has a mass shooting problem. In 2022 alone, there have been over 300 mass shootings, defined as an incident in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter. This epidemic of gun violence has led many to question whether it is a symptom of a larger problem in American society.
