Far-left Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar went viral on social media Thursday morning after a pro-Palestinian man was arrested for allegedly killing two Israeli embassy staff members.
A reporter asked Omar if she had any comment after the Palestinian man was arrested for allegedly killing two Israeli staffers who were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
Omar refused to condemn the killings and did not say anything, sparking many to slam her on social media. The victims were named by the Israeli Embassy in the United States as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were engaged.
Steven Jensen, the FBI’s Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office, stated that the agency will investigate the “heinous crime” for hate crime motivation or links to possible terrorism.
During a press conference, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith stated that police responded to various complaints of a gunshot near the museum about 9:08 p.m. on Wednesday.
When officials got on the site, they discovered a guy and a woman unconscious and not breathing. Despite first responders’ efforts to save lives, Smith stated that both were pronounced dead.
A 30-year-old male named Elias Rodriguez of Chicago is suspected to have conducted the crime alone and is in arrest, according to Smith, who also stated that his pistol was retrieved.
According to Smith, the early investigation showed Rodriguez pacing back and forth outside the museum before approaching a group of four persons exiting the institution, including the two fatalities, and opening fire.
He then entered the museum and was apprehended by event security. While in arrest, he cried, “Free, free Palestine!” Smith stated.
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DC Mayor Muriel Bowser described the shooting as “horrific,” and assured the community “there is no active threat.” She also said the city “will not tolerate this violence or hate.”
“We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism,” Bowser said, in part. “We will not tolerate antisemitism.”
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy in the capital, told Fox News that two diplomats were shot “at close range” while attending an American Jewish Committee (AJC) event at the museum.
“We have full faith in law enforcement authorities on both the local and federal levels to apprehend the shooter and protect Israel’s representatives and Jewish communities throughout the United States,” Cohen said.
The museum hosted an event for young Jewish professionals working in international policy, with a panel discussion centered on finding humanitarian solutions for Gaza, Fox News said.
The Israeli Embassy stated that Lischinsky and Milgrim were “in the prime of their lives.”
“This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder,” the embassy wrote in a post on X. “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.”
Katie Kalisher, who was at the museum Wednesday night, told “FOX & Friends” on Thursday that she had a conversation with Rodriguez before he was arrested.
She claimed Rodriguez, who appeared disturbed and was wet in the rain, entered the facility after 10 to 15 gunshots were heard outside and requested that someone contact the police.
“I’m like, ‘so, do you like this museum?’ And he’s like, kind of playing dumb with me. He’s like, ‘oh, what kind of museum is this?’ And I’m like ‘it’s a Jewish museum. He asks ‘Do you think that is why they did it?’ in reference to gunshots we had heard. And I was like, ‘yeah maybe, I don’t know but I don’t think so, I hope not,’” Kalisher said. “And that is when he reaches into his bag and pulls out a kaffiyeh and says to me, ‘I did it. I did this for Gaza.’ And then he starts shouting ‘Free, Free Palestine!’ and the police show up and arrest him.”
