Two Israeli embassy staff members were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night in what law enforcement officials are investigating as a possible act of anti-Semitic terrorism. The victims, identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were a couple on the verge of engagement, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter.
"The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem," Leiter said at a Thursday press conference. The couple had just exited the American Jewish Committee's Young Diplomats Reception when the shooting occurred.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago approached a group of four people and opened fire. Rodriguez was arrested at the scene after reportedly attempting to enter the event venue. Upon being taken into custody, he shouted "free, free Palestine" and directed police to where he had discarded the firearm.
The shooting was a "targeted attack," said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who confirmed that the shooting occurred near the agency's Washington Field Office. FBI officers stationed nearby responded immediately, rendering aid and securing the area. "Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can," Bongino added.
Milgrim and Lischinsky were both affiliated with the Israeli embassy, though not as formal diplomats. Lischinsky, who held dual German-Israeli citizenship, served in the IDF and was a research assistant on Middle Eastern affairs. Milgrim held advanced degrees in international relations and environmental policy and worked in the embassy's public diplomacy division.
Officials said the shooting happened shortly after 9:00 p.m. Emergency responders found the victims at the scene, one of whom was transported to a hospital in critical condition but later died. "No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss," the Israeli Embassy said in a statement on X.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the killings, calling them the result of "antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel." He added: "My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous anti-Semitic murderer."
President Donald Trump also weighed in, posting on Truth Social: "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA."
The American Jewish Committee confirmed the couple had attended its private event, which brought together Jewish professionals and members of the diplomatic community. The event's theme was "turning pain into purpose," with speakers from IsraAID and the Multifaith Alliance addressing humanitarian responses to Middle East crises.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser vowed accountability: "We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we're going to stand together... to send a clear message that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism."
Following the attack, the Secret Service increased security at the Israeli embassy and the ambassador's residence. The NYPD expanded its presence at Jewish institutions and Israeli government-related facilities in New York, officials said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro visited the scene. "Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more," Bondi wrote on X.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated, "This is the direct result of toxic anti-Semitic incitement... I have been worried for the past few months that something like this would happen. And it did."
Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, described the incident as a "depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism," saying "harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem echoed the sentiment: "We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice."
