A man who fatally shot two employees of the Israeli Embassy in the US on Wednesday in Washington was detained by police. The suspect shouted during the arrest: “Freedom of Palestine,” AP reported, writes TASR.
He was identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriquez of Chicago, Illinois, wrote The Times of Israel (Toi).
According to Reuters, the victims of shooting are a man and a woman. They lost their lives in a locality near the Jewish Museum, branches of the US Federal Investigation Office (FBI) and the Federal Prosecutor Office.
The spokeswoman of the Israeli Embassy in Washington Tal N
The unnamed sources from the embassy added that a man and a woman formed a couple and wanted to get engaged – the man bought a ring last week with the intention of asking his girlfriend to marry his next week in Jerusalem.
Police chief in Washington DC Pamela Smith said that “despite all efforts to save life, both victims succumbed to injuries.” She added that eyewitnesses noticed before shooting how the suspect passes in front of the museum. She added that he started the fire into a group of four people, two of whom injured fatally.
In his reaction, US President Donald Trump condemned “terrible murders in Washington DC” based on “anti -Semitism”. In a post on the Truth Social network, he wrote: “Hate and radicalism do not have a place in the US. Officer of the victims’ families. It is sad that such things can happen! God bless you all!”
Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon described the shooting in Washington as a “perverted act of anti -Semitic terrorism”. He expressed the belief that “US authorities would take vigorous steps against persons responsible for that crime.” He added that “Israel will continue to act vigorously to protect its citizens and representatives – everywhere in the world.”
