{"id":150599,"date":"2025-05-22T16:11:55","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T16:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/washington-dc-shooting-live-updates-two-israeli-embassy-staff-killed-and-suspect-in-custody-bbc\/"},"modified":"2025-05-22T16:11:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T16:11:55","slug":"washington-dc-shooting-live-updates-two-israeli-embassy-staff-killed-and-suspect-in-custody-bbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/washington-dc-shooting-live-updates-two-israeli-embassy-staff-killed-and-suspect-in-custody-bbc\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington DC shooting live updates: Two Israeli embassy staff killed and suspect in custody – BBC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Officials Hold Presser On Israeli Staff Shooting
BBC News
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Officials Hold Presser On Israeli Staff Shooting
BBC News
Two Israeli embassy staff have been shot dead leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC, officials say
Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were a couple and "in the prime of their lives"<\/a> before they were killed, Israel's embassy in the US says
The suspect has been detained and identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez<\/a> from Chicago
Police say he shouted "free Palestine"<\/a> after being taken into custody, and officers will "look into ties to potential terrorism"
US President Trump says the attack is "so sad"<\/a> and "based obviously on antisemitism"
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says security will be increased<\/a> at Israeli embassies worldwide, while Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said the shooting was a "direct result of toxic, antisemitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world"
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Watch: BBC talks to witnesses who saw gunman inside Jewish museum
Edited by Alex Smith and James Gregory
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Yolande Knell<\/strong>
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem<\/span>
Israel has been battling intense international and domestic criticism over the conduct of the Gaza war in recent days.
While Israeli ministers have condemned this shooting outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC as an act of antisemitism, there have also been strong recriminations.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a post on X: "We are witness to the terrible cost of the antisemitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel."
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar pointed to "anti-Israeli incitement", which he said is done by "leaders and officials of many countries, of international organisations, especially from Europe".
Earlier this week, the leaders of the UK, France and Canada signed a strongly-worded joint letter<\/a> condemning Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza.
One Israeli minister, Amichai Chikli, went so far as to directly call out Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and Mark Carney as having \u201cemboldened the forces of terror.\u201d
Within Israel, criticism has been directed at Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, who earlier this week gave an unusually powerful domestic condemnation of the Gaza war, saying Israel was killing babies "as a hobby".
The reserve major general in the army later clarified that his criticism was directed at the government, not the Israel Defense Forces.
After the shooting in Washington, the far-right minister, Itamar Ben Gvir appeared to accuse Golan of having "the blood of the victims" on his hands.
In response, Golan accused Israel\u2019s hardline government of fuelling "antisemitism and hatred of Israel" saying the result was "unprecedented political isolation and danger to every Jew at every point across the globe".
Sarah Milgrim's father, Robert, tells the BBC's US partner CBS News that his daughter "loved Israel" and "loved everybody that lived in the Middle East".
"She spent several summers in Israel and she worked with… Palestinian and Israeli groups to bring them together," he says.
"She had a lot of close Palestinian friends, as well as many Israeli friends."
Robert tells CBS that Sarah's role at the Israeli embassy had been her "first job" out of education, having studied for two masters degrees.
He says he first learnt of Yaron's plans to propose<\/a> via the Israeli ambassador overnight.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Gary O'Donoghue<\/a><\/strong>
Chief North America correspondent, reporting from Washington DC<\/span>
Under dingy grey skies and with heavy rain falling, the yellow crime scene tape cordons off two blocks around the Capital Jewish Museum. The scene of last night\u2019s shooting in downtown DC.
Police officers and FBI agents stand around, one accompanied by a sniffer dog.
In a beige coat, Attorney General Pam Bondi has been talking to officials.
Meanwhile the suspect is reported to be in a cell close to here. His initial court appearance is set for later today – again just a couple of blocks away.
The world\u2019s media huddle under umbrellas beaming the news of last night\u2019s attack around the globe.
The mood is sombre – everyone knows acts like this will have repercussions that reverberate in these violent and uncertain times.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Mike Wendling<\/strong>
Reporting from Chicago<\/span>
Suspect Elias Rodriguez is currently being held by authorities and is expected in court on Thursday.
Online records examined by BBC Verify indicate that Rodriguez, who is from Chicago, had been working at the American Osteopathic Information Association since 2024.
Prior to that, he appeared to work as a researcher at HistoryMakers, a research and educational institution based in Chicago – according to a LinkedIn profile and the institution's web site.
Social media accounts BBC Verify has examined that appear to belong to Rodriguez indicate that he was heavily involved in the pro-Palestinian protest movement.
An online story indicated that in 2017, he was associated with a fringe communist group, The Party for Socialism and Liberation.
The party said in a post on X that Rodriguez had a "brief association" with a branch of the group and that they had had no contact with him for seven years.
They said they "have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it".
We're just hearing from Capital Jewish Museum – outside of which Wednesday's shooting took place.
"We are heartbroken by the murders of Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Milgrim, and send our sincere condolences to their families and friends," executive director of the museum, Dr Beatrice Gurwitz says in a statement.
"In an act of horrific antisemitic violence, a gunman attacked our beloved community. This tragedy is devastating," she adds.
"We are working to re-open the museum in the coming days, with all necessary security in place, so we can return to telling the story of Jewish Washington for thousands of visitors from around the world."
Authorities have searched a home in Chicago linked to suspect Elias Rodriguez, as they continue to investigate the shooting.
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Journalists surrounding the attorney general are peppering her with questions, including asking whether she knows the motivations behind the shooting.
Bondi says authorities will be giving a briefing later.
She adds that she's visiting the scene because local rabbis asked if she would come with them.
"We need to come together", she says.
Bondi says security has been increased after the shooting, and that US Marshals are working to ensure the safety of the embassy.
She says from everything known to authorities the suspect acted alone, but notes it's an ongoing investigation.
"Whether you are Jewish or not, be vigilant," she says.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi is speaking to press at the scene of the shooting.
You can watch live<\/b> at the top of the page.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly condemns" the shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members, his spokesman says.
"Nothing can justify such a horrific act," he adds.
"The Secretary-General calls for the perpetrator to be brought to justice and extends his sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the government of Israel."
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Gabriela Pomeroy<\/strong>
Live reporter<\/span>
The Jewish community of Washington is "utterly shocked", says Ron Halber, chief executive of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington.
"They were about to get married – and now we have to attend their funerals," he says, referring to the couple shot dead on Wednesday night.
Jewish people will "continue to live their lives openly", he says, and "not be deterred."
Halber adds that he believes there is a need for greater security at Jewish buildings in Washington in the future.
In case you're just joining us, here's what you need to know:
Earlier we brought you comments from one of the event's organisers, Jojo Kalin.<\/a>
You can watch below as she describes giving the suspected gunman water, thinking he was a bystander.
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\"\"<\/span><\/span>Ana Faguy<\/strong>
Reporting from Washington DC<\/span>
Security in Washington is always tight, but streets blocks away from landmarks like the Capitol and the White House are usually relatively calm – that's not the case today.
Everywhere you turn outside the Capital Jewish Museum you can see flashing red and blue lights and officials in FBI uniforms.
Much of the area is blocked off with yellow caution tape and on every corner there are groups of television crews.
US Vice-President JD Vance says his "heart breaks" for the two people killed at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night.
"Antisemitic violence has no place in the United States," he says.
"We're praying for their families and all of our friends at the Israeli embassy, where the two victims worked."
A spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in Washington says the death of two staff members is "an unbearable loss".
Speaking about the victims – couple Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky – spokeswoman Tal Naim Cohen says "words cannot begin to describe the heartbreak and sorrow".
"Just this morning we were still laughing together by the coffee corner – and now, all that remains is a picture. Instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves."
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Gabriela Pomeroy<\/strong>
Live reporter<\/span>
I've been speaking to people who knew Yaron Lischinsky, one of the two people shot dead on Wednesday night.
Jenny Havemann, who lives in the town of Ra'anana in Israel, knew Yaron when they were both part of a group of young German-Israelis who met regularly to promote good relations between the two countries.
Yaron reportedly held a German passport<\/a>.
Jenny describes him as "super super nice, modest, calm and friendly." "Yaron was part of a Christian Zionist group and he was very into bringing Germans and Israelis together," she says.
Another friend, Ronen Shoval, met Yaron at an adult education centre in Jerusalem.
Yaron was "a very polite man with a good character, and inspiring," he says.
"He wanted to learn all the time." Shoval adds that Yaron was "a very devout Christian" who moved to Israel from Germany.
"Many people wanted to understand his background. He was a serious Christian believer," he says.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Ana Faguy<\/strong>
Reporting from Washington DC<\/span>
I'm heading to the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC, where two Israeli embassy staff were killed last night.
Outside the Israeli embassy, security looks much the same as usual.
News crews are lined up on the pavements, covering last night's events, and police cars are parked on nearby streets.
Apart from that, there are few signs of what happened.
Katie Kalisher was at the Capital Jewish Museum event last night when the fatal shooting happened.
The 29-year-old jewellery designer tells Reuters the event was a chance to hear a panel discuss how different organisations and faiths from around the world "are working together to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza".
"So people that are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Israelis, whatever, they're all working together for this goal of helping innocent Palestinians," she says.
Kalisher remembers police and the Swat team searching for people and telling everyone to move into a corner, away from windows and doors, to "just try to keep us safe".
Given the situation, she says there was "a lot of chaos" and it all "just felt really surreal".
The road near the Capital Jewish Museum remains cordoned off this morning local time
Two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC have died following a shooting near the Capital Jewish Museum.
The embassy has named Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram as the victims. The pair have been identified as a couple who planned to get married.
The couple were shot dead as they were leaving an event at the museum shortly after 21:00 local time (01:00 GMT) last night. Diplomatic sources tell Reuters and AFP news agencies that Lischinksy was also a German national.
The suspect has been detained and was identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago. Police say he shouted "free Palestine" after being taken into custody. Officers will "look into ties to potential terrorism".
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith says the suspect was seen pacing up and down outside the museum before opening fire with a handgun on a group of four people.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar says the shooting is a result of "toxic antisemitic incitement" against Israelis and Jewish people around the world in the wake of the 7 Oct. 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.
Sa'ar says the "incitement" was also sparked by leaders and officials of many countries and international organisations, especially from Europe. Earlier this week, multiple countries described Israel's new offensive in Gaza as "wholly disproportionate" – a statement that Israel's minister for diaspora affairs argues has "emboldened the forces of terror".
The UK, France, Germany and the European Union have all voiced their condemnation for the attack<\/a>, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying "antisemitisim is an evil we must stamp out wherever it appears."
Copyright \u00a9 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.<\/a><\/p>\n

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