Two Israeli Embassy staff members killed outside Jewish museum in Washington, DC

[chowder66]

Source: CNN

Two people believed to be connected to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, were shot Wednesday night near the Capital Jewish Museum, according to a source familiar with the situation and a law enforcement source. Another law enforcement source told CNN that two people were killed and at least one of them is believed to be connected to the embassy.

DC Police said its investigating a shooting across the street from the FBI's Washington Field Office, which is located near the museum. The Israeli embassy is working with law enforcement.

The Israeli ambassador was not involved in the incident and was not at the location when the shooting happened, an embassy spokesperson told CNN.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on social media that she and acting US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro have arrived to the scene of the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/21/politics/individuals-connected-to-israeli-embassy-shot-in-dc-sources-says

---

Breaking on MSNBC and elsewhere.

They are reporting on MSNBC the shooter shouted "Free Palestine".

[elleng]

1. *US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on social media that she and acting US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro

have arrived to the scene of the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum.'

[LearnedHand]

2. I know. It's like a horrible clown-filled circus of the damned, isn't it?

[elleng]

3. ;-(

[Srkdqltr]

5. What could possibly go wrong

[bdamomma]

32. Two incompetents

to arrive at the scene. smh.

[Mosby]

4. You should update the headline.

[chowder66]

9. Done. Thx.

[Lovie777]

6. Palestinians here on the USA are in..

for some hardships because shithole musk republicans might consider them as their next deportation targets.

[Beastly Boy]

13. Not to mention the hardships of Jews being hunted down on the streets of the US Capital

[cabotnn22]

37. Exactly..

And there are going to be psychos who justify it saying Israelis and Jews are fair game. This is a natural consequence of nothing being done to stop people on college campuses from blocking Jews going to their classes, etc. In Canada, we've had schools for Jewish people shot at (see link)...it all culminates into this kind of violence.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/bais-chaya-mushka-gunshots-toronto-1.7416067

[Mosby]

7. Washington Jewish Museum shooter yelled 'Free Palestine' while being arrested -- NBC

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/washington-jewish-museum-shooter-yelled-free-palestine-while-being-arrested-nbc/

[Richard D]

8. It's a good thing . . ,

. . . they are anti-Zionists and not antisemites!

[JohnSJ]

11. The suspect in the shooting has been identified as a 30-year-old man from Chicago chanted

"free palestine" while being arrested.

Three were injured and two were killed by this POS.

According to the news he actually turned himself in. This jackass is so proud of himself for killing two people.

I wonder if anyone will try to justify these killings like some did after October 7.

I won't be surprised if that happens.

[Oopsie Daisy]

29. I wouldn't be surprised either. In fact, I fully expect it.

Whether it's blatant or subtle, there's always someone.

[LymphocyteLover]

62. There no good reason for killing these people but did Israel "justify" their starvation of innocent children?

[JohnSJ]

63. The subject of this thread is the killing of two people simply because they were JEWISH. That you find

it necessary to set up some kind of "equivalence" in these killings and what is going on in Gaza is beneath you, and worse, that you are even implying that because other killings are supposedly being justified, that THIS is somehow understandable.

That is disgusting and deplorable.

and please don't soft-peddle that "isn't what you meant".

You just confirmed what I didn't want confirmed.

and just to make this very clear no one here at DU is justifying what is now happening in Gaza.

[Beastly Boy]

10. I am willing to bet the shooter is not Palestinian.

My bet is on a white radical leftist Ivy League school dropout.

And I am guessing all this even without seeing how he wears his keffiyeh.

[JohnSJ]

12. I think the odds are very high on that speculation. The only thing I have heard he is a 30 year old man

from Chicago.

[Mosby]

14. His name is Elias Rodriguez, he's 33.

From Chicago.

Here's his arrest:

Link to tweet

[JohnSJ]

15. Thanks Mosby. That was fast.

[Mosby]

16. Check my edit.

[JohnSJ]

17. +++

[Sympthsical]

23. Intonation like a regular protester

Welp, this is gonna be a shitshow.

[artemisia1]

28. "The True Believer". A loser who takes on a "cause" to give meaning to their life. /nt

[mdbl]

31. Kind of like many Magats

[SunSeeker]

53. Fucking idiot ended two lives, and his own. I bet he voted 3rd party in 2024. nt

[Mosby]

56. It isn't confirmed yet

But he may be a member of the "Party for Socialism and Liberation".

[SunSeeker]

59. So basically he helped get Trump elected and enabled the misery in Gaza. Typical.

[Mosby]

19. He has a BA in english from UIC

https://www.thehistorymakers.org/our-people/Elias--Rodriguez

He's going to be exploring new places, that's for sure.

[JohnSJ]

22. and I hope he rots in his cell until his worthless life ends.

[MichMan]

34. Would expect the authorities to seek the death penalty in this case

[JohnSJ]

43. I have no problem with that. This was definitely premeditated.

[cabotnn22]

38. Federal crime

The government will probably seek the death penalty.

[JohnSJ]

44. That is fine with me.

[bdamomma]

35. It reads

page could not be found.

[Mosby]

46. They deleted it, here's a screen cap.

Link to tweet

[electric_blue68]

64. Welp, hopefully he will be "exploring a new place"... like Prison! Hideous Crime.

He can write fiction there to pass the time.


I'm not a morning person so I'm just seeing this now.

[SunSeeker]

55. The page at the link is gone now. UIC is referring to University of Illinois Chicago? nt

[Mosby]

57. Yes.

Link to tweet

[womanofthehills]

20. NBC News said his name is Elias Rodriguez

Of Chicago

[Meowmee]

24. The suspect is Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago

Who went to the University of Illinois, and who recently worked in osteopathic medicine.

[JohnSJ]

18. One thing is for certain he is an antisemitic jackass.

[Richard D]

21. They were a couple...

... About to get engaged.

[mdbl]

33. And the man he killed advocated for peace

according to the guardian:

He wrote on his LinkedIn page: “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.”

[moniss]

25. Violence among the various factions in the

Middle East has never just been contained to a small area. Historically shocking things like this have happened across Europe and Africa and it was certainly bound to come here. The foolish and stupid thing on the part of Netanyahu is to give people some sort of false idea that the violence will stop if there is just enough violence projected. That is not how it works with human beings who feel a grievance against people who have done violence to them. So it ends up tit for tat year after year, decade after decade. The belief in and acceptance of violence by these various factions condemns them to the cycle of violence and response and now there will be more and then more and more. Back and forth. Each faction being fed their weapons by the leeches in the arms trade and with involvement from countries trying to jockey for influence and for greed.

[lapucelle]

30. This wasn't "violence among various factions. It was the cold blooded murder of two Jews

because they were Jews.

[moniss]

39. The acceptance of the use of violence

is the issue. Whether it happens in Gaza, Tel Aviv, Damascus or Washington DC is irrelevant as it is still between these groups of people and their supporters and adherents. It is noteworthy that many people around the world are way more outraged about this instance of violence than they are when a Palestinian farmer minding his own business in the West Bank is attacked because he is a Palestinian. The violence of one against the other because of their race, religion or creed should be called out with equal vigor.

In the US in particular it is not. Among many people it is not. With respect to Netanyahu and the IDF it most certainly is not.

[lapucelle]

41. The *issue* is the ho-hum, faux intellectual acceptance of the cold blooded murder of Jews

“because Palestine”.

No amount of spin is going to work here.

[moniss]

45. I have zero idea how you could twist what I'm saying

into somehow being "ho-hum, faux intellectual acceptance of the cold blooded murder of Jews". I have repeatedly decried these kinds of actions from all sides. I am not interested in some long running back and forth with you where you claim I'm saying or representing something I'm not. Nothing I have said is spin. It is all acknowledged fact about the region, the factions, their supporters and adherents and the way violence begets violence in a continuing cycle and how it is not historically contained to just a single region. The facts don't care whether someone doesn't like them.

[artemisia1]

26. Yes, because nothing helps your cause more than committing cold blooded murder(SARCASM) and, no, I don't support Israel'

s actions in Gaza. I also don't support the idea that two wrongs make a right, either. Upon conviction in a fair trial -- lock the killer into prison and throw away the key.

[Exp]

27. It's a sad state of affairs. It's also sad how this event will likely get more attention than the 275 Gazans

killed between 5/7 and 5/14. But they were all "terrorists", right?

[Emile]

36. The news here is, this killing happened in the United States.

[Exp]

50. Yes, I know. But do you know how many people are killed by guns EVERY DAY in the USA? But this gets more sympathy,

Pathetic.

[cabotnn22]

40. Well, this crime happened in the US

So of course it is going to make the news.

[Exp]

51. Yes, I know. But do you know how many people are killed by guns EVERY DAY in the USA? But this gets more sympathy and

attention?

M.S.M. is warped and pathetic.

btw, how did this idiot get his hands on a gun?

[MarineCombatEngineer]

54. Easy, if he's not a prohibited person,

he probably walked into a gun store, filled out Form 4473, plunked down the money and walked out with a gun.

[Hekate]

66. All righty then. Aren't you special?

Jesus Christ on a Trailer Hitch

[mcar]

47. You're OK with the cold-blooded murder

of a young couple, simply because they are Jewish?

[mcar]

49. So, you are OK with the cold-blooded murder

of a young couple simply because they are Jewish. Got it.

[SunSeeker]

58. Stunning isn't it?

How the fuck does someone allow themselves to be so propagandized that they think killing two innocent young embassy staffers is ok?

[Oopsie Daisy]

67. That was... something else.

That deserved to be called-out and laid-bare in plain English for the world to see. (Good job.)

[Mosby]

52. The murderers manifesto

Link to tweet

[Richard D]

65. To make this suck even more . . .

. . . the event that the murdered couple were at was to raise funds to send more food to Gaza.