PM Carney ‘devastated and appalled’ by killing of 2 Israeli embassy staff in Washington

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is “devastated and appalled” by the killing of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington yesterday.

The two staff members were leaving an event at a Jewish museum when they were shot and killed. The gunman, identified by police as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, then walked into the museum, was detained by event security and began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” authorities said.

The two people killed, identified as Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Milgrim, an American, were a young couple about to be engaged, according to Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S.

In a post on social media, Carney says this was a targeted attack against the Jewish community, and he condemns it “in the strongest terms.”

“This was a targeted attack against the Jewish community — a violent act of antisemitism,” Carney wrote. “My prayers are with Yaron and Sarah, their grieving loved ones, and the entire Jewish community.”

In Toronto and the GTA, police forces acknowledged the shooting, saying the presence of officers would be increased at schools, community centres and places of worship in the coming days.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says her thoughts are with the families of the victims, their colleagues and the Jewish community. She says antisemitism and the “violence and fear it brings are beyond deplorable and must stop.”

“The murder of two Israeli embassy staff last night in Washington is a horrific crime,” Anand’s post read. “My thoughts are with the families of the victims, their colleagues and the Jewish community.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday he was shocked.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.

With files from The Associated Press and Lucas Casaletto of CityNews