Two Israeli embassy staff members shot dead in Washington, suspect shouts 'Free Palestine'

Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in Washington were shot and killed on Wednesday evening near the Capital Jewish Museum after an assailant approached a group of four people and opened fire, authorities said.

According to Police Chief Pamela Smith, law enforcement apprehended the suspect on site. The gunman yelled, “Free, free Palestine” after he was arrested, Smith said.

"Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered, and he implied that he committed the offence," she explained at a press conference in Washington.

The man has been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago. Witnesses told the press he entered the museum visibly distressed after the shooting. Some of those present helped him without realising he was the suspected assailant.