News - World: Two staff members at the Israeli embassy in Washington have been shot dead near a Jewish museum.

The shooting took place late Wednesday outside the Capital Jewish Museum, which was hosting an American Jewish Committee event at the time of the incident.

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the deaths in an X post, saying, “We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share.”

Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy, confirmed that the two staff members were shot "at close range" while attending the event.

Local media reported that a man and a woman were killed, without releasing their names.

Washington police chief Pamela Smith said a single suspect who was seen pacing outside the museum before the event was apprehended.

The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriquez of Chicago, Illinois, "chanted 'Free, free Palestine,’ while in custody," she added.

Anger against Israel has increased worldwide since October 7, 2023, when the regime launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

More than 19 months into its brutal aggression, the occupying regime has failed to achieve its declared objectives in Gaza despite killing at least 53,655 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 121,950 others.

Source: Press TV