Washington DC Israeli embassy staff shooting: What we know so far

Two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot dead on Wednesday evening after attending an event at a Jewish museum in Washington DC.

Police have arrested a suspect, and Israel's government has identified the victims - here's what we know so far:

What happened?

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim  - both Israeli embassy staffers  - were leaving the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception at the Capital Jewish Museum at around 9:15pm when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The suspect was seen pacing around outside the museum before the attack, and walked into the building after the shooting. He was detained in the museum by security staff. While being detained, the suspect began chanting, "Free, free Palestine", Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a press conference.

Security personnel initially appeared to mistake the suspect for a victim of the shooting, according to witnesses, who said he was allowed into the building and comforted by bystanders.

"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.

Who were the victims?

The victims were named by Israeli officials as Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen and research assistant, and Milgrim, who organised visits and missions to Israel.

Israel's US ambassador said the pair were about to be engaged, with Lischinsky having purchased a ring earlier this week, intending to propose in Jerusalem next week.

According to Lischinsky's profile on X, he was a political analyst at the Israeli Foreign Ministry, with associations with Reichman University's Lauder School of Government and the Hebrew University in Israel.

His last post on X was a repost from Israeli diplomat Amir Weissbrod, slamming the UN's warning that 14,000 Palestinian babies were at risk of dying in Gaza as "blood libel".

Who is the suspect?

Authorities have identified the suspect as 30-year-old Chicago resident Elias Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was taken into custody and interviewed by DC's Metropolitan Police Department, as well as the FBI. The US attorney in Washington will prosecute the case.

What has been the response?

Israeli officials have slammed the shooting as an antisemitic attack, however, little has emerged about the shooter's motives, apart from his pro-Palestine chant while being arrested.

"We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

The shooting comes amid Israel's renewed assault on Gaza, which Netanyahu says aims to defeat Hamas and take full territorial control of the Palestinian enclave.

Israel's latest war on Gaza, which was launched after Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack, has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians and wounded at least 121,950, according to Gaza's government media office.

Israel's has displaced 90 percent of the territory's roughly 2.3 million population, sparked a hunger crisis, and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza's urban landscape.

Aid groups ran out of food to distribute weeks ago, and most of the population relies on communal kitchens whose supplies are nearly depleted.

Israel imposed a blockade on all aid to Gaza on 2 March, however said on Sunday that a "basic amount" of food would be let in following outrage among allies.