Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead outside D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum, officials say

Two staff members of Israel’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot dead outside the district’s Capital Jewish Museum, officials said.

“Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC. We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X.

Four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the shooting told NBC News a man pacing outside the museum opened fire, hitting a man and a woman. The man shouted “Free Palestine” while he was being arrested, three senior law enforcement officials said.

“Two staff members of the Israeli embassy were shot this evening at close range while attending a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC,” said Tal Naim Cohen, spokesperson at the Israeli embassy in Washington, on X.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations called the act a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”

Authorities have not released the shooter’s identity.

The gunfire erupted as the museum was hosting an event, Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said on X. “Harming the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he said.

Ted Deutch, chief executive officer for the American Jewish Committee, confirmed in a statement that the group was hosting an event at the museum when the shooting erupted outside the building.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that she was at the scene. She offered prayers to the victims.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X, “We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.”

The shooting was reported in the area of 3rd and F streets, Washington police said on X. The museum, feet from the FBI’s Washington field office, is dedicated to exploring the Jewish experience in the area, according to its website.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was working with metro police to learn more and asked for prayers for the victims and their families.

A heavy law enforcement presence, including from the U.S. Capitol Police, was seen in the area, video from NBC Washington showed.

“This sickening shooting seems to be another horrific instance of antisemitism which as we know is all too rampant in our society,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is Jewish, said on X.