The two people shot dead in Washington DC on Wednesday were Israeli embassy workers who were planning to get engaged in Jerusalem next week, it has since emerged.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were targeted as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, just over a mile from the White House.
The suspect, named as Elias Rodriguez by police, shot at a group of four people just over a mile from the White House and then chanted a pro-Palestinian slogan in custody.
Couple shot dead in DC named; follow latest
The couple, who worked in different roles at the embassy, were named by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs early on Thursday.
Here is what we know about them so far.
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Where were they when they were shot?
The couple had attended an Annual Young Diplomats reception at the Capital Jewish Museum in central Washington DC on Wednesday night.
It was organised by the American Jewish Committee, a pro-Israel advocacy group that works to “confront antisemitism”, for Jewish and non-Jewish professionals aged between 22 and 45.
Its organiser, Jojo Drake Kalin, told Sky News that it brought together staff from 30 embassies from countries across the Middle East and North Africa and the US State Department to discuss “bridge building”.
People were leaving the event as the attack unfolded, she said.
Mr Lischinsky and Ms Milgrim were part of a group of four outside the building when they were targeted just after 9pm, according to Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith.
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Plan to propose next week
It is not clear exactly when the couple met, but they had both been working for the Israeli embassy for the past two or three years.
Tributes to them described them as being in the “prime of their lives”.
Speaking to the media late on Wednesday, Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said the young couple were “about to be engaged”.
He claimed Mr Lischinsky had bought an engagement ring this week and was planning for them to travel to Jerusalem, where he would propose next week.
Yaron Lischinsky
Mr Lischinsky worked as a research assistant for Middle East and North African affairs for the embassy’s political department, according to his LinkedIn.
On his X profile, he described himself as a “political analyst”.
He was an “ardent believer in the vision outlined in the Abraham Accords” – the bilateral agreements of normalised relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab nations brokered by President Donald Trump in 2020.
It was seen as a key turning point for the region, with many Arab countries acknowledging Israel’s sovereignty for the first time.
Mr Lischinsky’s profile said he believed “expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbours and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the State of Israel and the Middle East as a whole”.
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He grew up in Nuremberg, Germany, but “made Aliyah” – the process of Jewish people emigrating to Israel – when he was 16.
Mr Lischinsky was fluent in German, Hebrew, and English and spoke basic Japanese, according to his profile.
Volker Beck, president of the German-Israeli Society, knew him when he was growing up in Bavaria.
In a tribute, he wrote: “We remember him as an open-minded, intelligent and deeply committed person whose interest in German-Israeli relations and ways to achieve peaceful coexistence in the Middle East brightened the environment around him.”
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He had a master’s degree in government, diplomacy, and strategy from Reichman University and an undergraduate degree in international relations and Asian affairs from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Mr Lischinsky moved from Jerusalem to work in DC in September 2022.
His final post on X on Wednesday was a re-tweet condemning UN organisations for alleged cooperation with Hamas and a lack of neutrality in its conflict with Israel.
Sarah Milgrim
Ms Milgrim started working at the Israeli embassy’s department for public policy in November 2023.
She appears to have been living in DC before that, studying for a master’s degree in international affairs at the state’s American University from 2021 to 2023.
Previously, she lived in Kansas, where she obtained a degree in environmental studies, and also completed a master’s course in natural resources and sustainable development at the UN-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica.
She had spent time in Tel Aviv volunteering for a peacebuilding organisation called Tech2Peace.
Paying tribute to her, they described her as a “devoted and active volunteer” and a “deeply curious person, always seeking to learn and connect”.
“She brought people together with empathy and purpose, and her dedication to building a better future was evident in everything she did,” the tribute reads.
“Her energy, thoughtfulness, and unwavering belief in dialogue, peace, and equality inspired everyone who had the privilege to work alongside her.”
On her LinkedIn profile, she described herself as a “dynamic professional” and “Jewish educator”.
She spoke English, Hebrew, Mandarin, and Spanish.
Earlier this year, she uploaded a photo of her, Mr Lischinsky, and other embassy staff with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog.
She wrote: “I had the honour of meeting the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog! Thank you for visiting DC and for the work you do to combat antisemitism while being a voice for unity.”
