Two Israeli Embassy Workers Assassinated Outside D.C. Jewish Museum
May 22, 2025 at 1:33 am
(This post was last modified: May 22, 2025 at 1:33 am by TheWhiteMarten.)
Quote:The close-range shooting occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on a downtown street outside an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, in the heart of official Washington, behind the F.B.I.’s Washington field office and near the Capitol, Justice Department and F.B.I. headquarters.
Pamela A. Smith, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, told reporters at a late-night news conference at police headquarters that the man exclaimed, “Free, free Palestine,” after he was in custody. He also informed police of the location of a gun.
Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador, told reporters at a news conference that the two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” he said, calling them a “beautiful couple.”
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The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was detained shortly after the shootings, law enforcement officials said. The victims’ names were not immediately released.
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“We are excited to introduce this year’s theme: turning pain into purpose,” the group stated in the online invitation, which said the event would feature members of groups working to respond to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
