Guardian:
Washington DC shooting of Israeli embassy staff: what we know so far
What happened, who were the victims, who was arrested and what has been the reaction?
Associated Press
Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington – a young couple on the verge of becoming engaged – were fatally shot on Wednesday evening at about 9.15pm while leaving an event at a Jewish museum.
The suspect yelled “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said.
The attack was seen by some officials in Israel and the US as the latest act in a growing wave of antisemitism as Israel ramps up its offensive in the Gaza Strip, and as food security experts have warned that Gaza risks falling into famine unless Israel’s blockade ends.
Here is what we know:
Thu 22 May 2025 22.12 AEST
Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington – a young couple on the verge of becoming engaged – were fatally shot on Wednesday evening at about 9.15pm while leaving an event at a Jewish museum.
The suspect yelled “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, police said.
The attack was seen by some officials in Israel and the US as the latest act in a growing wave of antisemitism as Israel ramps up its offensive in the Gaza Strip, and as food security experts have warned that Gaza risks falling into famine unless Israel’s blockade ends.
Here is what we know:
The victims
Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. Photograph: @IsraelinUSA/Twitter
The two victims, identified by the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were both Israeli embassy employees. The Israeli ambassador, Yechiel Leiter, told reporters Lischinsky had “purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem”.
Lischinsky, 28, a German Israeli, worked in the political department of the Israeli embassy in Washington. According to the bio on his Times of Israel blog, he had a master’s degree in government, diplomacy and strategy from Reichman University and a bachelor’s in international relations from Hebrew University.
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, said on X that Lischinsky was born in Nuremberg and that he ‘‘was a Christian, a true lover of Israel, served in the IDF, and chose to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and the Zionist cause’.’
‘‘He embodied the Judeo-Christian values and set an example for young people worldwide,’’ Prosor added.
Lischinsky moved to Israel when he was 16, according to his LinkedIn profile, where he also wrote: “I’m an ardent believer in the vision that was outlined in the Abraham Accords and believe that expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbours and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the state of Israel and the Middle East as a whole. To this end, I advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding.”
Milgrim organised visits and missions to Israel. She was also a volunteer at Tech2Peace, an advocacy group training young Palestinians and Israelis and promoting dialogue between them.
Tech2Peace said Milgrim was an active volunteer who “brought people together with empathy and purpose”.
“Her dedication to building a better future was evident in everything she did,” it said. “Her voice and spirit will be profoundly missed.”
The former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog told Israeli Army Radio that the woman killed was American and that the man was Israeli.
“Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues,” the embassy said in a social media post. “They were in the prime of their lives. This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC.
“The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time.”
The attack
The suspect was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, the DC Metropolitan police chief, Pamela Smith, said.
When he was taken into custody, the suspect began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said. She said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.
The violence occurred after the American Jewish Committee’s annual Young Diplomats reception at the museum.
Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realising he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled: “Free Palestine,” Kalin said.
“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin said. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”
The suspect
The suspect has been identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago.
It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A telephone number listed in public records rang unanswered.
He was being interviewed early on Thursday by DC’s Metropolitan police department as well as the FBI. The US attorney in Washington will prosecute the case.
Reaction so far
The office of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Thursday that he was shocked by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.
“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.
Israeli diplomats in the past have been targeted by violence, both by state-backed assailants and Palestinian militants over the decades of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict that grew out of the founding of Israel in 1948.
The Palestinians seek Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, with East Jerusalem as its capital – lands Israel captured in the 1967 war. However, the peace process between the sides has been stalled for years.
The influential pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera aired on a loop what appeared to be mobile phone footage of the alleged gunman, wearing a suit jacket and slacks, being pulled away after the shooting, his hands behind his back.
The context of conflict
The shooting comes as Israel has launched a new campaign targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war that has set tensions aflame across the wider Middle East. The war began with the Palestinian militant group Hamas striking out of Gaza on 7 October 2023 to kill 1,200 people and take 250 hostages back to the coastal territory.
In the time since, Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, whose count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory’s roughly 2 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.
The two victims, identified by the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were both Israeli embassy employees. The Israeli ambassador, Yechiel Leiter, told reporters Lischinsky had “purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem”.
Lischinsky, 28, a German Israeli, worked in the political department of the Israeli embassy in Washington. According to the bio on his Times of Israel blog, he had a master’s degree in government, diplomacy and strategy from Reichman University and a bachelor’s in international relations from Hebrew University.
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, said on X that Lischinsky was born in Nuremberg and that he ‘‘was a Christian, a true lover of Israel, served in the IDF, and chose to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and the Zionist cause’.’
‘‘He embodied the Judeo-Christian values and set an example for young people worldwide,’’ Prosor added.
Lischinsky moved to Israel when he was 16, according to his LinkedIn profile, where he also wrote: “I’m an ardent believer in the vision that was outlined in the Abraham Accords and believe that expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbours and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the state of Israel and the Middle East as a whole. To this end, I advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding.”
Milgrim organised visits and missions to Israel. She was also a volunteer at Tech2Peace, an advocacy group training young Palestinians and Israelis and promoting dialogue between them.
Tech2Peace said Milgrim was an active volunteer who “brought people together with empathy and purpose”.
“Her dedication to building a better future was evident in everything she did,” it said. “Her voice and spirit will be profoundly missed.”
The former Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog told Israeli Army Radio that the woman killed was American and that the man was Israeli.
“Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues,” the embassy said in a social media post. “They were in the prime of their lives. This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC.
“The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time.”
The attack
The suspect was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, the DC Metropolitan police chief, Pamela Smith, said.
When he was taken into custody, the suspect began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said. She said law enforcement did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the community.
The violence occurred after the American Jewish Committee’s annual Young Diplomats reception at the museum.
Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realising he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled: “Free Palestine,” Kalin said.
“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin said. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”
The suspect
The suspect has been identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago.
It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. A telephone number listed in public records rang unanswered.
He was being interviewed early on Thursday by DC’s Metropolitan police department as well as the FBI. The US attorney in Washington will prosecute the case.
Reaction so far
The office of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Thursday that he was shocked by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.
“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.
Israeli diplomats in the past have been targeted by violence, both by state-backed assailants and Palestinian militants over the decades of the wider Israeli-Palestinian conflict that grew out of the founding of Israel in 1948.
The Palestinians seek Gaza and the West Bank for a future state, with East Jerusalem as its capital – lands Israel captured in the 1967 war. However, the peace process between the sides has been stalled for years.
The influential pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera aired on a loop what appeared to be mobile phone footage of the alleged gunman, wearing a suit jacket and slacks, being pulled away after the shooting, his hands behind his back.
The context of conflict
The shooting comes as Israel has launched a new campaign targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip in a war that has set tensions aflame across the wider Middle East. The war began with the Palestinian militant group Hamas striking out of Gaza on 7 October 2023 to kill 1,200 people and take 250 hostages back to the coastal territory.
In the time since, Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza has killed more than 53,000 people, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities, whose count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory’s roughly 2 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.
***
kt comments:
Thanks 'MF' for your enlightenment - see follows:
This so screams false flag.
1 hour ago
He is just one of many Useful Idiots.
ReplyDelete“Free Palestine”?
ReplyDeleteName ONE “free” Ishmael state in ME that does not discriminate against minorities like women, girls, Christians, Druze, Isaacs. the alphabet people LGBTEFG….etc.
mfer, have u checked the same discriminations happened within the fold of zionist state?
DeleteAmazing, hardly any information surfaces yet, and MotherFuckers already screaming False Flag.
ReplyDeletewakakakaks… false flags coming out from BOTH sides!
DeleteSo which mfers r u referring to?
A mati katak (?? could be wrong!) for two people of inconsequential due to a cruel war far far away that somehow linking them convolutedly.
ReplyDeleteYet a ton of epitaphs!
In comparison, those innocent deads, young & old, caused by the atrocities of the zionist state in the land of Palestine gained NO such outpouring of sympathy.
The art of western mfering news dissemination, causing tons of zionist myrmidoms to chant in pains & revenges.
"Elias Rodriguez of Chicago" - so ?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a Ktemoc-type person.... Non-Arab, Non-Muslim Extremist sympathiser of Hamas...plenty of examples living in Western countries ...wakakakaka.. staring right in your mirror...
The only difference is this guy took one extra step to actually fire his gun..
Lischinsky, 28, a German Israeli, moved to Israel when he was 16. He is a true lover of Israel, served in the IDF, and chose to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and the Zionist cause’.
DeleteHe later worked in the political department of the Israeli embassy in Washington.
Any different from the average person u have quoted?
YES, he served in IDF & had actually involved in many inhuman atrocities happened in GazaStrip.
The biggest false flag ever is happening now in Gaza. Ishmael terrorist who wear civilian clothes, doctors and nurses uniforms, hide in hospitals, schools, amongst women, children and babies to attract attack, and when there are casualties, they cry victim and blame Isaac.
ReplyDeleteif Yisrael were the attackers, then no matter who fooled or instigated them, the attackers were still Yisroeli - I think you dont understand the meaning of 'false fl;ag' ops
Deleteu have given this know-nothing zionist asslicker too much credit le!
DeleteI understand perfectly. When you wear an UNRWA uniform and hide in an UNRWA run hospital or school that flies an UNRWA flag, then it is "false flag".....hahaha....fly Harm-ass flag and wear Harm-ass uniform lah and fight IDF lah, not like a coward.
Deletemfer, don't just fart.
DeleteShow proofs from neutral sources to substantiate yr farts!
Many questions arising...
ReplyDeleteas yoda would quipped, the polemic is strong, this narrative...
~~~
https://x.com/RyanMattaMedia/status/1925538624323354654?s=19
The gentleman who carried out the attack in Washington –
was Elias Rodriguez. What are the odds that we find out he was connected to an intelligence agency? Was he training at the same range as Mathew Crooks and the FBI? Were his social media accounts scrubbed from the internet? Did the FBI hose down the crime scene moments later?
...
https://x.com/frank275/status/1925635478742520116?s=19
Do you think so?
ReplyDelete~~~
https://x.com/ItsJuliansRum/status/1925711688419983513?s=19
Sadly this won’t be the last false flag. It’s not getting the kind of pickup Mossad was hoping for.
Pickup 5m after JuliansRum had posted.
Delete~~~
https://x.com/ItsJuliansRum/status/1925772612933767484?s=19
At the end of the day, most young American conservatives like me don’t give a shit about supporting Israel.
We’re more worried about things like how the hell we’re ever gonna afford a house to raise a family in.
Going to be a messy and delicate operation to remove the tumour, it is spread among vital organs...
ReplyDelete~~~
https://x.com/ApostateProphet/status/1925535815507067375?s=19
The two diplomats murdered in Washington DC were both Messianic Jews (Christians) who were planning to get married.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
May their memory be eternal.
https://t.me/GoBPH/6131
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it amazing that Charlie Kirk and one of those college kids he “debates” went viral arguing pro-militant Zionism vs free Palestine and then A FEW HOURS LATER “free Palestine” murdered “innocent Zionists” therefore militant Zionism is necessary?
How does it even happen?!
“Both sides” have been fully activated online. You have to choose one side or the other!
Unless you choose neither.
When you choose neither, the trick stops working.
https://truthsocial.com/@imyourmoderator/114552781322050945
Look like they are winnowing the MAGA wheat from the chaff, from within their rank.
ReplyDelete~~~
https://t.me/GoBPH/6129?single
Loomer is gonna turn on Trump soon, I think. She’s already noticeably upset about whatever has already happened between them— sounds like Trump team is creating distance. The more she posts stuff like this the more distance Trump is gonna put between them, which will only drive her deeper into a vortex of narcissistic rage.
MF, I dont have access to Telegram, so please (if you can) provide its text here - thanks
DeleteNoted.
DeleteFor your info, sometimes, the key point being attempted to be communicated by the poster reference screencaptured info, to ensure no change by special party later on, but difficult to post as comment in your blog, unless if you don't mind receiving tip off via your x account for your further evaluation, accordingly...
Deletehttps://x.com/ItsJuliansRum/status/1925760197068263911?s=19
DeleteConfirmed: more false flags coming
https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1925757313891041541?s=19
2020 was the Summer of Love.
2025 will be the Summer of Jihad.
You’ll see.
...
Laura Loomer, from her x profile tag, America First, Feisty Jewess
Small but curious development.
Delete~~~
https://t.me/GoBPH/6153
Loomer's pivot against President Trump continues.
I suspect that all of Mossad Media will join her, as it becomes increasingly clear that POTUS is not their puppet.
Perhaps this is the reason that Trump has played coy, and leaned into the "Zionist Puppet" narrative. They only supported him because they thought he was a loyal servant to The Diaspora. Their turn against him will only further expose Israel's fifth column infiltration of the US government.
https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1926036465177248250
I love President Trump, which is why I am wondering who inside his administration without his knowledge allowed for jihadist infiltration to go unchecked.
President Trump has a history of being very tough on Islamic terrorism. It’s one of the reasons why I fight for him.
That is why the newly announced White House Religious Freedom Commission is baffling to me and has so many people scratching their heads.
One appointee to the White House Religious Freedom Committee named Ismail Royer served 13 YEARS in prison for trying to join a terrorist camp in Pakistan, and he was sentenced to 20!
He was helping to recruit jihadists to attack America and India, and now, this same jihadi has been given a position on a White House committee.
We have a serious vetting crisis.
I broke this story a week ago, and the fact that the 3 jihadis on the committee still haven’t been removed is a national disgrace.
We need accountability. Even in our own ranks. We need to PROTECT PRESIDENT TRUMP from Jihadist infiltration!
https://t.me/professor_patriot_official/36856
ReplyDeletehttps://t.me/businessoftruth/61781
Let’s break this down.
A pro-Palestinian rando knew to be on a dark street six hours after the closing of the museum to lie in wait for a Jewish diplomat he knew would be there with his wife.
Makes perfect sense.
Sure, Jan.
Battle of perception.
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/HSajwanization/status/1925604341680881778?s=19
Just in: UAE Condemns Killing of Israeli Embassy Employees in Washington — UAE MOFA
Look like you got a lot of triggered readers to your posts... :-D hehehe
ReplyDeleteCurious development...
ReplyDelete~~~
https://x.com/dotconnectinga/status/1926642772796211520?s=19
😆 Mark Carney has been prime minister of Canada for less than a month, but some Liberal members of parliament are already talking about how to fire him.
It’s not personal, they insist.
When Liberal lawmakers gather Sunday — a day before Canada’s new Parliament opens — their first order of business will be to vote on whether to give themselves the power to remove Carney as leader at any time, if they choose.
It’s not as cutthroat as it sounds.
Liberals had no way to dislodge former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he overstayed his welcome. Now, as the House reboots, many in the party are determined that history will not repeat itself. Trudeau’s reluctance to resign left scars on reelected lawmakers, many of whom want to rebalance power between caucus and the Prime Minister’s Office — long seen as controlling and insular during nine-plus years in office.
...
https://x.com/dotconnectinga/status/1926642780115223024?s=19
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/25/canada-liberals-fire-party-leader-00368243
Canada’s Liberals are already thinking about how to remove Mark Carney. It’s not personal.
By Mickey Djuric
05/25/2025 07:05 AM EDT
OTTAWA — Mark Carney was elected prime minister of Canada less than a month ago, but some Liberal members of parliament are already talking about how to fire him.
It’s not personal, they insist.
https://t.me/real_DonaldJTrump/18213
ReplyDeleteI’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia! Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President. This is Zelenskyy’s, Putin’s, and Biden’s War, not “Trump’s,” I am only helping to put out the big and ugly fires, that have been started through Gross Incompetence and Hatred.
https://t.me/GoBPH/6179
Our Take:
[video 1]
On its face, many people will probably get frustrated by what President Trump is doing here with this rhetoric. But stop and consider what you are witnessing.
President Trump is projecting a shocking level of naivete as he appears to blame Vladimir Putin for what has been reported as an assassination attempt against his life. Surely, Trump knows what has transpired, but he cannot afford to acknowledge that there was an attempt on Putin's life by the Europeans, as it would formally inject that narrative into the zeitgeist and force Putin to respond. So instead, he is blaming Putin for the missile attacks, while also blaming Zelensky for his own reckless abandon.
Here is a video of President Trump from last week where he is explicitly asked whether there is a "red line" that, if crossed, would provoke him into walking away from the entire Russia-Ukraine situation:
[video 2]
He responds by saying that there is-- in his own head-- but he won't publicly say what it is. I would imagine that a massive bombardment by Ukraine on Russian civilians, coupled with an assassination attempt against President Putin, would be that red line, as it would represent a total rejection of earnest diplomacy.
Remember: President Trump was shot in the head last summer in a failed assassination attempt against his own life. Do you really think he doesn't sympathize with Putin, here?
The fact that Trump is playing so coy and speaking so harshly about Putin should be a signal to everyone that we are standing on yet another narrative rug, and it is about to be yanked.
...
https://www.rt.com/news/618139-trump-putin-crazy-reason/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
Trump claims Putin ‘has gone absolutely crazy for no reason’
May 26, 2025
The Russian leader’s helicopter was reportedly caught in a Ukrainian drone swarm earlier this week
US President Donald Trump has claimed that Moscow targeted Ukraine “for no reason whatsoever,” after Russia launched a series of missile strikes against military targets in Kiev and other locations – following a week of constant Ukrainian drone raids involving hundreds of UAVs.
Ukraine significantly intensified its drone attacks inside Russia last week, with at least 764 drones intercepted over Russian territory between Tuesday and Friday, and hundreds more destroyed over the weekend. The helicopter carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin was reportedly caught in the “epicenter” of a massive drone raid while he was visiting the Kursk Region on Tuesday.
In response, the Russian military conducted a major strike against a drone and missile production plant in Kiev on Saturday, followed by additional reported strikes on Ukrainian military facilities on Sunday.
After he pulled funding to public broadcasting corporation, they start giving airtimes for one of the most divisive figure in Trump's camp.
ReplyDeleteAnd he is teasing a Trump's 3rd plus 1 term in office... the plus 1 is the most terrible US president...
https://youtu.be/IGKFJPbaFLc?si=n3Lh775ukxincRFq
If cannot beat them, join them... Financial Times yt channel interviewing Steven K. Bannon, and with a teasing headline for an interview.
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/6KfUXpmtprc?si=90a1nvMzyRUN_-jo