Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead outside Jewish museum in Washington

WASHINGTON — Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted "free Palestine," authorities said, with US, Israeli and other world leaders expressing outrage over the killings.

President Donald Trump condemned the attack in the heart of the US capital, saying: "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!"

Shots rang out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum as it held an event for young professionals and diplomatic staff.

The victims were a young couple who planned to get married, the Israeli ambassador said.

Israel's foreign ministry identified them as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, an American.

Lischinsky was a research assistant at the Israeli embassy, while Milgrim worked for its public diplomacy department, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

The attack came days after the museum was awarded a grant to boost security, as anti-Semitism surges worldwide following the outbreak of Israel's war in Gaza.

A video clip circulating on social media after the attack showed a bearded young man in a jacket and white shirt shouting "free, free Palestine" as he was led away by police.

Police confirmed the suspected shooter walked into the museum after the attack and had been detained.

Witnesses said that security personnel appeared to mistake the man for a victim of the shooting and allowed him into the building, where he was comforted by bystanders before claiming responsibility for the attack.

"Some of the people at the event brought him water. They sat him down. 'Are you OK? Were you shot? What happened?' And he's like 'somebody call the cops'," Yoni Kalin, who was in the museum, told US media.

Washington Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters that the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum before the shooting.

"He approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire," she said.

"After the shooting, the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security."

She said the handcuffed man -- whom she identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago -- told them where he discarded the gun.

'Despicable antisemitic murderer'