The flag of Israel is projected onto 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, October 8, 2023.
Clodagh Kilcoyne | Reuters
Two staff members of Israel’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot dead outside the district’s Capital Jewish Museum, officials said, in what Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations called a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”
Four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the shooting told NBC News a man opened fire, hitting a man and woman. The man shouted, “Free Palestine” while he was being arrested, three senior law enforcement officials said.
His identity has not yet been released by authorities.
The gunfire erupted as the museum was hosting an event, Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, said on X. “Harming the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he said.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that she was at the scene. She offered prayers to the victims.
“We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X.
The shooting was reported in the area of 3rd and F streets, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department said on X. The museum, located feet from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington field office, is dedicated to exploring the Jewish experience in the area, according to its website.
A heavy law enforcement presence, including from the U.S. Capitol Police, was seen in the area, video from NBC Washington showed.
