Tunde Sulaiman 
Two Israeli embassy staff have been shot dead outside a Jewish museum in downtown Washington DC, officials have said.
The man and woman were a couple and were killed while leaving an event focused on helping Gazans at the Capital Jewish Museum, the event organiser told the BBC at the scene.
The suspect has been detained and identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez. Police say he shouted “free Palestine” after being taken into custody, and officers will “look into ties to potential terrorism”.
Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were a couple and “in the prime of their lives” before they were killed, Israel’s embassy in the US said. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said it is a “shocking terrorist attack”.
Speaking further he said the attack is a “direct result of antisemitic incitement that has been absolutely toxic that has been going on since the October 7 massacre”, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages.
Reacting US President Donald Trump said the attack is “so sad” and “based obviously on antisemitism”. Meanwhile, speaking with reporters, DC Metropolitan Police chief Pamela Smith, said:
“We have not had any prior interactions”. “We don’t see anything in his background that would have placed him on our radar.” “Our joint terrorism task force is working very closely with the FBI to ensure that we can do a deep dive into his background.”
