Two Israeli embassy staff have been shot dead leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington DC, officials say
Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lischinsky were a couple and "in the prime of their lives" before they were killed, Israel's embassy in the US says
The suspect has been detained and identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez
Police say he shouted "free Palestine" after being taken into custody, and officers will "look into ties to potential terrorism"
US President Trump says the attack is "so sad" and "based obviously on antisemitism", while Israeli PM Netanyahu says security will be increased for Israeli representatives and at diplomatic missions worldwide
Watch: BBC talks to witnesses who saw shooter inside Jewish museum
Our North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal is outside the cordon around the Jewish museum in Washington DC where the shooting happened.
She’s giving us a quick overview of what took place, and she’s also spoken to the organiser of the event the two victims had been at before the shooting.
Watch below.
Watch: BBC at the scene of shooting outside Jewish museum
Levi Shemtov is a rabbi in Washington who met the couple who were shot dead.
He tells the BBC's Radio 4's Today programme that he saw the couple at Jewish events in the city.
They were "nice people, popular" people he says, and this is "brutal news".
Jewish community organisations have beefed up their up their security in recent years, he says, and "especially after 7 October", when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages.
The attack triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
"We have armed guards at [synagogue] services every week," Shemtov says, adding that they will be increasing security even more now.
Image source, Embassy of Israel to the USAIsrael’s embassy in the US has named the couple shot dead in Washington as Yaron and Sarah.
Israeli media reports their full names are Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram.
The victims “were in the prime of their lives,” the embassy posts on X, external. “A terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC,” it says.
The embassy says its staff are “heartbroken and devastated” by the murder.
“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.”
This is the moment the suspect was detained after the shooting in Washington DC.
The man can be heard shouting "free Palestine" as he is led away.
As we've reported, police have named 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago as the only suspect.
Watch: Moment Jewish Museum shooting suspect is detained
Jake Kwon
North America correspondent
The event the victims attended at the Capital Jewish Museum was billed as a cocktail evening for young Jewish professionals to foster unity and celebrate Jewish heritage.
Its organiser, American Jewish Committee, says it was open to those in the DC diplomatic community. The event's theme was advertised as "turning pain into purpose".
The event description said it invited as special guests humanitarian aid organisers responding to humanitarian crises in the Middle East, including Gaza.
While the event's hours were publicly advertised, its location was only shared with those who signed up to attend.
We've been hearing more from Jojo Kalin, who organised the American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC.
She tells the BBC Today programme she saw the attacker inside the building, looking "very distraught" after the shooting.
"The security let this person in thinking that they were a bystander or witness," she says.
Jojo gave him some water because he seemed distressed, but she didn’t see a weapon.
At that point, "he whips out his red Jordanian keffiyeh and he yells Free Palestine."
She says the event was about building coalitions in the Middle East, and it's "deeply ironic that what we were discussing was bridge building and then we were all hit over the head with such hatred".
Image source, ReutersIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says security will be increased for Israeli representatives and at diplomatic missions worldwide.
"My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous antisemitic murderer," he says. "We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against the state of Israel."
A statement from the prime minister's office says he has spoken with US attorney general Pam Bondi and Israel's ambassador in the country.
Jake Kwon
North America correspondent
Image source, ReutersThe Trump administration has responded quickly to the killing of Israeli diplomats.
Trump and his top officials took to social media immediately after the news broke, vowing to fight antisemitism.
Trump has made it his mission to combat antisemitism in the country. The word frequently appeared in his communication as well as official orders since his return to office. When he went after America's elite universities, including suspending federal funding for Harvard, it was in response to the pro-Palestinian protests that swept university campuses last year.
He accused the institutions of failing to protect Jewish students and allowing antisemitism to run rampant.
However, Trump's critics have accused him of simply using antisemitism as a pretext to purge the universities of his opponents and bolster his support.
It's been about five hours since the shooting, which happened at around 21:05 local time, or 02:05 BST.
Below are pictures showing the scene in the hours afterwards, with the area cordoned off and a large police presence.
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPA
Image source, EPA
Image source, AFP via Getty Images
Image source, ReutersIt's now almost 02:00 in Washington DC and 07:00 in London.
As we've been reporting, two Israeli embassy staff have been shot dead. Here's what we know so far:
What we don’t know:
Watch: DC police chief details how Jewish museum shooting unfolded
More from the police news conference.
Head of the Metropolitan Police in DC Pamela Smith tells reporters that once the suspect Elias Rodriguez was in handcuffs, he identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered.
After that, "he implied that he committed the offence," Smith says.
We're getting more details from the police news conference we mentioned earlier.
"We have not had any prior interactions" with the suspect, says DC Metropolitan Police chief Pamela Smith.
Smith tells reporters: "We don't see anything in his background that would have placed him on our radar."
"Our joint terrorism task force is working very closely with the FBI to ensure that we can do a deep dive into his background."
Image source, Getty ImagesIsrael's President Isaac Herzog has responded, saying he is "devastated" by the shooting.
"This is a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism," he writes on X. "Our hearts are with the loved ones of those murdered and our immediate prayers are with the injured."
He adds that he sends his "full support" to staff at the embassy and stands with the Jewish community in the US.
"America and Israel will stand united in defence of our people and our shared values. Terror and hate will not break us," he writes.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged, Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the US told a news conference a short while ago.
"The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.
"They were a beautiful couple,” Leiter says.
A bit more information from the news conference in Washington DC earlier.
The suspect - who police have identified as Elias Rodriguez - chanted "free Palestine" while in custody, Washington police chief Pamela Smith said.
Steve Jensen, assistant director of the FBI's Washington Field Office, added that an investigation into the homicides will "look into ties to potential terrorism" and if the motive of the attack was based on a "hate crime".
He called the shooting "heinous".
Police have named Elias Rodriguez as the sole suspect at a news conference.
The 30-year-old Chicago man was seen "pacing back and forth outside of the museum" where the shooting took place, they said.
He approached a group of four people and produced a handgun, at which point he shot both victims.
Rodriguez is now being held in custody and DC Mayor Bowser has said there is "no active threat in our community".
Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent
Jojo Kalin is the board member of the American Jewish Committee who organised the event tonight. She didn’t witness the shooting or even hear the shots, and is shaken by what happened.
“I didn't know the couple who were shot but I do feel a sense of guilt, and it's a very uniquely Jewish thing to feel guilty for the fact that they were there because of an event I organised and then feeling guilty about my guilt when I shouldn't be centering myself when people's lives were just lost.”
The event was largely focused on how to build a coalition to help Gazans.
“I'm not going to lose my humanity over this or be deterred. And that Israelis and Palestinians both still deserve self determination and [it is] just deeply ironic that that's what we were discussing.
"It was bridge building and then we were all hit over the hide with such hatred.“
Jojo Kaklin says she didn't hear the shots and is shaken by what happened.
US President Donald Trump has condemned the killings and suggested they were driven by antisemitism.
"These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA," he wrote on Truth Social, a platform he founded.
"Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!" Trump wrote.
Watch: Police on the scene in DC after two Israeli embassy staff shot dead
This in the last few minutes from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel.
He says the FBI is working with the police to respond to the situation, adding authorities will keep the public updated "as we are able".
"In the immediate, please pray for the victims and their families," he says.
