The two slain employees working out of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC were identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. The couple was shot dead when they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, located near FBI's Washington Field Office in northwestern DC.
The fatal shooting was allegedly carried out by Elias Rodriguez, who is reportedly a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), a radical left party. After the killings, he rushed into the museum lobby, chanting, "Free Palestine."
Who were Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim?
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were about to get engaged, according to reports. Lischinsky, 28, was planning to propose to Milgrim during a trip to Jerusalem next week. Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said he bought the ring this week.
Lischinsky was a research assistant in the embassy's Political Department since September 2022. He had previously served in the Israel Defense Forces.
Milgrim, a Jewish American, was working in the Department of Public Diplomacy at the Israeli embassy since November 2023. She received her masters in international studies from the American University and another masters in natural resources and sustainable development from the United Nations University of Peace.
She had previously worked at Tech2Peace in Tel Aviv, carrying out research on peacebuilding theory with a focus of the Israel-Palestinian region. She had also researched on environmental issues in India and Central America, according to her LinkedIn.
Mourning the couple's deaths, the embassy posted on X said the entire staff is heartbroken and devastated. "Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives," the post read. "No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time."
US President Donald Trump said “hatred and radicalism have no space" in the country, adding that "these horrible DC killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!"