Assassination attempt in Washington, D.C. Two employees of the Israeli embassy shot dead - this is known

Two employees of the Israeli embassy have been killed near the Jewish Museum in the US capital Washington. This was announced by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Platform X.

Keystone-SDA

22.05.2025, 06:03

22.05.2025, 08:32

SDA

Two employees of the Israeli embassy have been killed near the Jewish Museum in the US capital Washington. This was announced by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Platform X. US Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X that she was at the scene and that it was a "horrific shooting incident".

Neither minister initially provided any information on the background to the crime.

Noem went on to say that they were working to obtain more information that could be passed on. "Please pray for the families of the victims." The perpetrator will be brought to justice.

Two eyewitnesses were in the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came in looking distressed. One eyewitness told the AP that people came to his aid and brought him water because they thought he needed help - without knowing that the man was the suspect.

When the police arrived, he had pulled out a kufiya, also known as a Palestinian scarf. He repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine".

"This event was about humanitarian aid," said the eyewitness. "How can we really help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel?" - That was what it was all about. "And then he murders two people here in cold blood," she continued.

The Israeli news website "Ynet" quoted the spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in Washington as saying that the embassy employees "were shot at close range".

The two victims, a man and a woman, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum when the 30-year-old suspect approached and opened fire, said police chief Pamela Smith.

The alleged perpetrator was observed walking around outside the museum before the gun attack and attempting to enter after the shooting, where he was detained by museum security personnel, she said.

Smith said law enforcement did not believe there was any threat to the public.

The alleged perpetrator was arrested a short time later. The police chief of the US capital, Pamela Smith, told journalists.

After the shooting, the alleged perpetrator entered the museum, where he was arrested by private security forces. After his arrest, he shouted a pro-Palestinian slogan such as "Free, free Palestine", the police chief said.

The alleged perpetrator is called Elias R. and is a 30-year-old man from the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois.

The two employees of the Israeli embassy in the US capital Washington who were killed were a young couple who were about to get engaged. Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told journalists.

The man had bought a ring this week and wanted to propose to his girlfriend in Jerusalem next week. "They were a beautiful couple who had come to enjoy an evening in Washington's cultural center," the ambassador said.

US President Donald Trump had assured Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter by telephone that he would do everything possible to combat and end anti-Semitism, Leiter said. Both Israelis and Americans are resilient and will not be intimidated, he emphasized.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was "devastated" by the scenes in Washington. "This is a despicable act of hatred, of anti-Semitism, which has claimed the lives of two young employees of the Israeli embassy. Our hearts go out to the families of those murdered." Herzog went on to say that the Jewish community in Washington and throughout the USA stands with them. "Terror and hatred will not break us."

"America and Israel will stand together in defense of our people and our shared values. Terror and hatred will not break us," Herzog continued. The act took place against the backdrop of the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip.