ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Two employees of Israel’s embassy in the US were killed on Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by an assailant who reportedly cried out “Free Palestine!”

The pair, reportedly a couple who were set to marry, both worked as diplomatic staffers in the US capital and were attending an event for young professionals at the time of the shooting.

Police in Washington have identified the suspected killer as Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, who was arrested at the scene.

Rodriguez was reportedly seen loitering in the vicinity of the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington before approaching a group of four people attending a conference and opening fire, according to a police spokesperson.

The event in question was hosted by the American Jewish Congress and saw young Jewish professionals in the US gather together in downtown Washington.

The killings have drawn condemnations from across the globe, with US President Donald Trump on Thursday saying that “these horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” on his Truth Social media outlet, adding that "hatred and radicalism have no place in the USA.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the incident as "a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence" in a post on X.

The Israeli consul in New York, Ofir Akunis, linked the shooting to widespread pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the US amid Israel’s destructive post-October 7 campaign in Gaza that has killed around 60,000, saying, “This is a direct result of severe incitement and unprecedented riots organized by terrorists on U.S. campuses. Unfortunately, there were those who listened to the calls of ‘Intifada, Intifada’ even here.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he has ordered heightened security measures for his country's diplomatic missions worldwide in light of the attack.