Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening near a Jewish museum, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem has said.
Noem announced the deaths in a post on X after the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum, which is located steps away from the FBI’s field office in the nation’s capital.
Attorney general Pam Bondi said she was at the scene with former judge Jeanine Pirro, who serves as the US attorney in Washington.
Spokesperson at the Israeli embassy in Washington Tal Naim Cohen said the staff members were shot at close range while attending a Jewish event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC.
“We have full faith in law enforcement authorities on both the local and federal levels to apprehend the shooter and protect Israel’s representatives and Jewish communities throughout the United States,” she said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said he and his team had been briefed on the shooting.
“While we’re working with [Metropolitan Police Department] to respond and learn more, in the immediate, please pray for the victims and their families,” he wrote on X.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, called the shooting a “depraved act of antisemitic terrorism.”
Police offered no details late Wednesday night on a potential motive for the shooting. A news conference was expected later Wednesday.
“We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act,” Danon said in a post on X. “Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives – everywhere in the world.”
This is a developing story.
