Two Israeli Embassy Staff Shot And Killed In Washington, D.C.

The suspect did not pop up on an initial search of crime databases and was not on the radar of law enforcement agencies.

Two Israeli Embassy employees were shot and killed Wednesday night while leaving the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C..

Law enforcement described the attack as “targeted” and said the suspect shouted “free Palestine” as he was being detained. 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez was initially “observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum” before he approached a group of four people, “produced a handgun,” and shot the two victims.

The suspect did not pop up on an initial search of crime databases and was not on the radar of law enforcement agencies. Police and the FBI are combing through the suspect’s social media, and electronic devices have been seized. An investigation is underway to reveal more.

“We are shocked and horrified this morning by the news of the brutal terrorist attack that claimed the lives of two of our Embassy staff members in Washington, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.