The suspect in a Wednesday night shooting near the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.—which left two Israeli Embassy staff members dead—returned to the building after the attack, according to a witness.
The suspect killed the man and woman near the Capital Jewish Museum and shouted “free, free Palestine” as he was arrested, police said. They were leaving an event at the museum organised by the American Jewish Committee when they were targeted.
Jojo Kalin, who organized the American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., told the BBC she saw the attacker inside the building looking “very distraught” after the incident.
“The security let this person in thinking that they were a bystander or witness,” she explained. Kalin gave him some water because he appeared distressed, noting that she didn’t see a weapon.
At that point, “he whips out his red Jordanian keffiyeh and he yells ‘Free Palestine.'”
Reflecting on the event’s purpose, which was focused on coalition-building in the Middle East, Kalin said it’s “deeply ironic that what we were discussing was bridge building and then we were all hit over the head with such hatred.”
Meanwhile, another witness told The Forward the suspect entered the Capital Jewish Museum after the shooting and remained inside the building for 15 minutes.
“I did see somebody run in. The security guard happened to let this guy in. I guess they were thinking that he was a victim. He was covered in rain, clearly in trauma and shock. Some of the people at the event brought him water and sat him down,” the witness said.
The witness added that the suspect then asked for someone to call the cops before saying “I did this.”
A man draped in the Israeli flag, bearing a cross and the name ‘Jesus’ at its center, gestures as Metropolitan Police officers secure the area outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left… A man draped in the Israeli flag, bearing a cross and the name ‘Jesus’ at its center, gestures as Metropolitan Police officers secure the area outside the Capital Jewish Museum following a shooting that left two people dead in Washington, DC, in the early hours of May 22, 2025. ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP/GETTY
“He said, “Sir, I’m unarmed.” He put his hands up, grabbed a red keffiyeh out of his pocket, and started chanting, “Free Palestine,” according to the witness. He was being dragged out of the building as he was yelling “Free Palestine.”
“Turns out he was in the building with us for like 15 minutes. Thank god he left the gun in the bushes outside,” the witness added.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that two Israeli Embassy staff members were killed, in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share. Please pray for the families of the victims. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice,” Noem said.
This is a developing story.
