Two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot dead on Wednesday evening (local time). This happened after an event at the Jewish Museum in the American capital. The police believe it was a targeted attack.
The employees are a man and a woman. They were shot when they left the museum, the Washington police chief said at a press conference about the attack. The Israeli ambassador told reporters that the man and woman are a young couple.
The police have arrested a suspect, the police chief said. The police believe it was a targeted attack. During his arrest, the suspect shouted “Free Palestine”, the police chief confirmed after earlier reports from American media.
The police suspect that the perpetrator acted alone. There is therefore no longer a dangerous situation, said Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington.
The suspect, a thirty-year-old man, reportedly walked up to a group of four people and shot them at close range, the police chief said. The suspect then tried to enter the museum, but security guards arrested him.
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Police Massively Present After Attack At Jewish Museum Washington
Investigation Into Motive
The FBI and the police are investigating the attack. They are looking, among other things, at whether it is a terrorist attack, or an attack driven by hatred, said Mayor Bowser. “We do not tolerate anti-Semitism.”
On Wednesday evening, the museum hosted an event for young diplomats, organized by the American Jewish Committee. After the shooting, Pam Bondi, the US Attorney General, and the Israeli Ambassador to the United States came to the museum.
US President Donald Trump gave his first reaction to the deadly shooting on Truth Social, in which he condoles the family of the victims. “These terrible murders, clearly from anti-Semitism, must stop now,” he writes. “Hatred and radicalism have no place in the US.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also reacts on X. “Our thoughts are with the loved ones of the victims,” he writes. Herzog says he supports the embassy staff and the Jewish community in Washington. “America and Israel stand side by side to protect our people and our shared values.”