Washington suspect told witness he 'did this for Gaza' in frenzied moments after shooting

Witnesses person told Sky News of the moments aft a antheral changeable 2 Israeli embassy unit members extracurricular a Jewish depository successful Washington DC.

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgram, a mates who were astir to go engaged, were changeable dormant arsenic they near the Annual Young Diplomats reception astatine the Capital Jewish Museum successful the US capital.

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The suspect, named arsenic Elias Rodriguez by police, changeable astatine a radical of 4 radical conscionable implicit a mile from the White House and past chanted a pro-Palestinian slogan successful custody.

The lawsuit organiser told Sky News she handed the fishy water, mistakenly believing him to beryllium an "innocent bystander".

Jojo Drake Kalin said the lawsuit was wrapping up erstwhile she headed to the lobby to find "commotion and a frenzy" but astatine that time, nary 1 was alert 2 radical had mislaid their lives.

"The gunshots were heard, truthful information started locking the doors and that is erstwhile I saw who I present cognize is the... murderer of this Israeli-Jewish couple," she said.

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Ms Drake Kalin didn't find retired until "much later" who she was really talking to.

"I spot him [and] helium seems precise distraught. I present recognize it's due to the fact that helium killed 2 radical point-blank. [I] offered him water, helium accepted," she said.

"The 2nd I've handed him water, helium whips retired his keffiyeh [a scarf] and yells 'Free Palestine' and past he's subdued by the officers connected scene."

Ms Drake Kalin said the lawsuit was themed astir "bridge-building" betwixt Israeli and Palestinian communities.

She called it "painfully ironic" that idiosyncratic came successful with "such hatred and destruction", considering the event's theme.

Another witness, John Elleson, cried arsenic helium told Sky News analogous Ashish Joshi what helium saw.

"A feline came up and... looked similar [he had a] gun, I couldn't archer what it was, but I heard it afterwards, the shots, and helium changeable this young couple," helium said.

"He ran wrong and yelled something.

"It was terrible. It was terrible."

Another eyewitness, Katie Kalisher, said it was astir 9.07pm erstwhile she heard gunshots.

"Then a antheral comes in. He looks truly distressed and radical are talking to him and trying to calm him down," she said.

"Eventually, helium comes implicit to wherever I was and we were like, 'Do you request immoderate water?', 'Are you okay?'"

Ms Kalisher said the fishy asked her what benignant of depository helium was successful and erstwhile she replied, "It's a Jewish museum," helium said: "Do you deliberation that's wherefore they did this?"

She told him she didn't deliberation truthful but helium past reached into his container and pulled retired a keffiyeh.

"[He] says, 'I did it. I did this for Gaza' - and conscionable starts shouting 'free Palestine' and that's erstwhile the constabulary came successful and arrested him," said Ms Kalisher.

The absorption to the shooting has been 1 of shock, with President Donald Trump condemning the "horrible killings" which helium said were "based evidently connected antisemitism".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his bosom ached for the families of the victims, "whose lives were chopped abbreviated successful a infinitesimal by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer".