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(WASHINGTON) — Two members of the Israeli Embassy staff — a couple about to get engaged — were gunned down outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday in what the FBI believes may be a targeted attack.

The shooting has sparked outrage and has been condemned as an “unspeakable” act of antisemitism after officials said the suspect, who is in custody, shouted “free, free Palestine” following the shooting.

During a press conference on Thursday morning, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar identified the two embassy staff members who were killed as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

He said the pair were attending a Jewish conference of the American Jewish Committee when they were gunned down “in a horrific terrorist attack.”

“This is the direct result of toxic anti-Semitic incitement against Israel and Jews around the world that has been going on since the October 7th massacre,” Sa’ar added. “I have been worried for the past few months that something like this would happen. And it did.”

An official with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to reporters during the presser that Lischinsky and Milgrim were not diplomats but embassy staff. Lischinsky was a researcher in the political department of the Israeli Embassy, while Milgrim organized U.S. missions to Israel.

The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was promptly taken into custody at the scene and is being questioned by police, Smith said.

The FBI said on Thursday it is conducting “court authorized activity” in Chicago that is believed to be related to the suspect in the shooting.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the early indicators point to the shooting being a “targeted attack.”

“The US Attorney’s office is on scene with me, and our WFO management team, at the Washington Field Office reviewing the evidence to determine additional actions,” Bongino said. “The shooting happened a short distance from our Washington Field Office. Our FBI police officer, assigned to the external post on the WFO property, immediately responded and rendered aid after the attack. Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence. Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads.”

After the shooting, officials said Rodriguez attempted to enter the building where the event was taking place and was stopped by event security, Smith said.

Once in custody, he implied that he had committed the shooting and began to chant, “free, free Palestine,” Smith said.

He also explained where he had allegedly ditched the gun used in the shooting, which was promptly recovered, according to officials.

“There is no active threat,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said during the press conference at the Metropolitan Police Department.

“I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate in our city. We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we’re going to stand together as a community in the coming days and weeks to send a clear message that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump posted a statement about the shooting on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!”

Emergency call centers began receiving calls around 9:08 p.m. reporting a shooting in the area, Smith said.

When emergency responders arrived, the man and one woman were found at the scene, not breathing, she continued. At least one of the victims was first transported to a local hospital in critical condition, sources told ABC News.

The two victims had been exiting the event at the museum when the incident occurred, officials confirmed.

“The couple that was gunned down tonight were about to be engaged,” Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said at the press conference. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem.”

He also shared that he had received a call from President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening, pledging the support of the U.S. in combating antisemitism.

Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, confirmed with ABC News that the AJC had hosted an event at the museum on Wednesday night, adding, “We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue. At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”

The incident took place near the FBI field office in D.C. A top spokesperson for the FBI posted on X that there was a bureau presence at the scene working in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Department.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro went to the scene shortly after the incident, Bondi said in a post on X.

“Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more,” she wrote.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement in the aftermath of the shooting saying he was “shocked” at the murder of two employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

“The Prime Minister spoke with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, and received an immediate update on the details of the incident,” the statement said. “The Prime Minister sends strength to the Ambassador and the embassy employees.”

“My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous anti-Semitic murderer,” Netanyahu said. “I have instructed to increase security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and security for representatives of the state.”

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the Secret Service on Wednesday night increased the security posture and patrols for the Israeli Embassy and the residence of the Israeli ambassador, officials said.

In New York City, the NYPD expanded its presence and security measures at Jewish and Israeli facilities and locations connected with the Israeli government. The increased security will remain in place indefinitely and is both visible and hidden, officials said.

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, called the shooting a “depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism” in a post on X.

“Harming diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line,” he wrote.

United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X, “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.”

Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former second gentleman Doug Emhoff shared reactions to the incident on social media Thursday morning, with Harris calling the attack a “shocking act of antisemitic violence.”

“Jews must be able to gather without fear or violence. We will not be silent and we will never let antisemitic terror defeat us. May the memory of Yaron and Sarah be a blessing,” Emhoff, who is Jewish and worked to combat antisemitism as second gentleman, wrote on X.

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(SAN DIEGO) — A small plane has crashed in a neighborhood of San Diego on Thursday morning, starting a large fire and damaging at least 15 homes and multiple cars, fire officials said Thursday.

Officials are working to to get everybody out of the neighborhood and they will be going home to home to find out if there is anybody inside, San Diego Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Operations Dan Eddy said at a press conference, referring to it as “like a movie scene.”

The plane directly hit multiple homes and cars, setting them ablaze, before running down the street, Eddy said.

No patients have been transported as of now, with officials searching to see if anyone is inside the impacted area, Eddy said.

The small private jet crashed seconds before landing at about 3:45 am. local time, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane was flying from Wichita to Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport when it crashed. It was roughly 500 feet in the air at its last radar check-in, according to the FAA.

“A Cessna 550 crashed near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in California, around 3:45 a.m.local time on Thursday, May 22. The number of people on board is unknown at this time,” the FAA said in a statement.

Residents have been instructed to avoid the area near near Sculpin Street and Santo Road as crews work.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(DALTON, Ga) — A Georgia teenager who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being mistakenly stopped for a traffic infraction she did not commit earlier this month was granted bond Wednesday, according to her attorney.

Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was arrested on May 5 in Dalton, Georgia, when her dark gray truck was mistaken for a black pickup that made an illegal turn, authorities said. The local police department and prosecuting attorney dismissed charges against her related to the mistaken traffic stop, though she was detained by ICE agents for being in the country illegally.

The Department of Homeland Security said following her detainment that it is committed to ordering Arias-Cristobal to “self-deport” to Mexico and that she “admitted to illegally entering the United States and has no pending applications with USCIS.”

During a bond hearing on Wednesday, Arias-Cristobal was granted $1,500 bond, the minimum amount possible under the law, according to her attorney.

“The government did not wish to appeal. The family will pay the bond ASAP and Ximena will be home with her family tomorrow afternoon at the latest,” her attorney, Dustin Baxter, said in a statement.

The next hearing in the case has not been scheduled, another one of her attorneys, Charles Kuck, told ABC Chattanooga, Tennessee, affiliate WTVC, adding, “It would be remarkable if it is before mid-2026.”

Arias-Cristobal, a student at Dalton State College, was being held at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, ICE records show.

The teen came to the U.S. with her parents when she was 4 years old and is ineligible for relief from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which temporarily protects some migrants from deportation if they were brought to the country as children, an attorney for Arias-Cristobal told ABC News.

Arias-Cristobal was not eligible to register for the DACA program because it ended before she became eligible to apply at 16 years old.

Her father, Jose Francisco Arias-Tovar, was separately detained by police — and later ICE — two weeks before his daughter for speeding and driving without a license, according to DHS. Her father was released on bond from ICE custody last week, WTVC reported.

“Both father and daughter were in this country illegally and they have to face the consequences,” DHS said in a statement last week. “The United States is offering aliens like this father and daughter $1,000 apiece and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.”

ABC News’ Nadine El-Bawab and Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

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(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — A former United States Postal Service employee in North Carolina was sentenced to 27 months in prison after he allegedly stole over $1.9 million in checks from P.O. boxes, according to federal prosecutors.

Dontavis Romario Truesdale, 28, was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for financial institution fraud after he “stole $1.9 million in business checks from the post office where he worked,” federal prosecutors said in a press release.

Truesdale pleaded guilty in January.

According to court records, from November 2022 to April 2023, Truesdale worked as a processing clerk at the Ballantyne Post Office in Charlotte, where he allegedly used his position to “steal hundreds of checks of businesses that maintained post office boxes at that location,” federal prosecutors said.

Truesdale then “sold the stolen checks to other co-conspirators who committed bank fraud,” federal prosecutors said.

Over the course of this scheme, Truesdale “stole more than 200 checks with a total face value of over $1.9 million,” federal prosecutors said.

Truesdale was released following the sentencing hearing, but will be ordered to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons “upon designation of a federal facility,” federal prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the U.S. Postal Service, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the Office of the Inspector General also assisted in the investigation.

Attorneys for Truesdale and the USPS did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

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(PERRYSBURG, OHIO) — A 24-year-old Venezuelan man who was arrested for pretending to be a 16-year-old high school student in Ohio is now facing a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Anthony Emmanuel Labrador Sierra was arrested on Monday after he posed as a teenager in January 2024, according to the City of Perrysburg Police.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer for Labrador on Tuesday, the DHS said.

“ICE lodged a retainer to ensure that this criminal illegal alien is removed from this community and is no longer able to prey on the students of Perrysburg High School,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, announced in a press release on Wednesday.

According to a police report, Labrador had contacted Perrysburg Schools in November 2023, wanting to enroll as a student, claiming that “he had been homeless and was an immigrant from Venezuela.”

He also told the school that he was a victim of human trafficking, police said.

When he met with the school to begin the enrollment process, Labrador presented a birth certificate from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela with a birthdate of Dec. 2, 2007, police said. At the time, he told the school he was staying at an address in Toledo, and he started as a student on Jan. 19, 2024.

Kathy and Brad Melfred, who had housed exchange students in the past and had adoptive children, were contacted about Labrador. The Melfreds agreed to assist Labrador and he began residing with them on March 21, 2024, police said.

The couple was granted permanent guardianship over Labrador through the Wood County Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division and they also assisted him in getting a social security number and an Ohio driver’s license, police said.

Then on May 14, the Melfreds were contacted by a woman, Evelyn Camacho, who stated that Labrador was “actually a 24-year-old and he was the father of her child,” police said. Camacho sent the Melfreds a picture of Labrador’s driver’s license with a birthdate of March 27, 2001, along with Facebook pictures of her with Labrador and a small child, police said.

Police said they reached out to the United States Border Patrol for assistance in the investigation, who advised that Labrador had an actual birthdate of March 27, 2001, an expired work visa and was considered “an overstay in this country.”

Officials said his work visa expired the same year he reached out to Perrysburg Schools to enroll.

On Monday at 4:15 p.m., Labrador was arrested after he was located riding in a vehicle on Interstate 75 and was booked on forgery charges, police said in a statement.

Labrador was also a member of the junior varsity soccer and swim teams at the high school, and the district has reported the situation to the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

The suspect remains in custody at the Wood County Jail and his next court date is scheduled for May 29, according to jail records. It is unclear if Labrador has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

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(NEW ORLEANS) — Two people accused of assisting the inmates who bolted from a New Orleans jail in last Friday’s mass escape have been arrested as the search for fugitives still at large stetched into its sixth day, officials said.

The Louisiana State Police announced on Wednesday that 32-year-old Cortnie Harris and 38-year-old Corvanntay Baptiste were arrested and charged with felony counts of being accessories after the fact. They were both booked at the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center, officials said.

According to the state police, an investigation found that, before the escape, Harris was allegedly in contact by phone with an escapee who remains on the run.

“Furthermore, investigators determined that Harris transported two escapees, who remain at large, to multiple locations in New Orleans,” police said.

Baptiste, according to the state police, was also in contact by phone and social media with escapee Corey Boyd, who was captured by police on Tuesday night.

Authorities alleged that Baptiste “helped facilitate getting him [Boyd] food while he was hiding in a residence.”

If convicted of being an accessory after the fact, Harris and Baptiste face a fine of at least $500 and could be “imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than five years, or both.”

“Those who choose to assist or conceal these individuals are violating the law and will be held accountable,” the state police said in the statement. “Harboring fugitives threatens the safety of our communities and will not be tolerated.”

Five of the 10 inmates who escaped the jail early Friday remained on the run on Wednesday, including one who is a convicted killer and two who have been charged with second-degree murder.

Meanwhile, embattled Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said she is suspending her reelection campaign after she accepted blame for the for the mass escape of 10 from the jail she oversees.

Facing mounting pressure over the jailbreak, Hutson said she is suspending her campaign to focus her attention on “security, accountability and public safety.”

The sheriff announced her decision on Tuesday. Hutson was elected Orleans Parish Sheriff in 2021 and took office in 2022, according to the sheriff’s office website, making history as the first Black woman to serve as sheriff in Louisiana and the first woman to serve as sheriff in New Orleans.

Hutson’s announcement came as she faces growing calls from state representatives, crime victims and others to resign.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Hutson accepted blame for the breakout after a maintenance worker at the Orleans Justice Center, where the breakout occurred, was arrested on charges alleging he helped facilitate the escape.

Hutson also announced that four other jail staff have been suspended and are under investigation for possible involvement in the jailbreak.

“I take full responsibility for what happened. This breach happened under my leadership, and it is my responsibility to ensure it is addressed with urgency and transparency,” Hutson said in her statement on Tuesday.

“To date, we have suspended staff, made an arrest, and launched comprehensive internal and external investigations,” she added. “We are also fully cooperating with the independent investigation led by the Louisiana Attorney General, and we have provided full access to all records, surveillance footage, and facility documentation.”

The 10 inmates exited the jail through a wall behind a toilet at 1:01 a.m. on Friday, Hutson said at an earlier news conference. They then made their way off the property through a loading dock door and scaled the perimeter wall using blankets to protect themselves from the barbed wire, according to the sheriff’s office. From there, officials said they had a clear path to the railroad tracks and then the interstate.

The inmates weren’t discovered missing until 8:30 a.m. Friday, when jail officials conducted a routine headcount, sheriff’s officials said.

The U.S. Marshals, Louisiana State Police and Probation and Parole were not notified of the escape until 9:30 a.m. on Friday, the sheriff’s office said. New Orleans police officials said they were notified at 10:30 a.m.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said he didn’t find out until a member of the news media called to ask him to confirm the breakout at about 10 a.m. on Friday. He said the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the jail, failed to notify local police and the public immediately.

“The public is the sixth man on the team in a jailbreak. You want to let the public know immediately when something like this happens,” Williams said. “The public was denied the opportunity to participate in this manhunt for eight hours. Law enforcement was denied the opportunity to start looking.”

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(NEW YORK) — Wet weather could dampen Memorial Day for those in the South, with strong storms, flash flooding and high temperatures possible throughout the holiday weekend.

Starting on Friday, the nor’easter that reached the East Coast earlier in the week will be exiting the Northeast, with lingering showers remaining.

In the Heartland, strong storms will be possible on Friday and Saturday, specifically in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas as well as on the Florida Peninsula.

The storm system will be on the move on Sunday and Monday, bringing widespread, heavy rain to Texas and most of the South.

Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky could see 2 to 5 inches of rain on Sunday and Monday alone, with flooding possible from Texas to Kentucky throughout the weekend.

Along with the potential for strong storms, near-record-high temperatures are possible on Friday through Sunday for Houston, the surrounding areas of South Texas, and Tampa, Florida. These areas could see highs above 90 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the holiday weekend.

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(ORANGE COUNTY, Calif.) — A Southern California man accused of stealing a Bengal Lynx cat and beating other felines to death will be arraigned on Wednesday and could face up to four years and four months in jail, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The suspect, 46-year-old Alejandro Oliveros Acosta, was arrested on April 24 after allegedly “luring cats with cat food in order to kidnap the animals to stomp them and beat them to death,” the district attorney’s office said in a press release on Tuesday.

Oliveros Acosta was also accused of having methamphetamine on him when he was booked into jail, officials said.

Acosta has been charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty, one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance and one felony count of theft of a companion animal after stealing a Bengal Lynx cat from a Westminster home in March, officials said.

Between November 2024 and April 2025, there were seven reports of dead and injured cats to Santa Ana Animal Control, including “animals suffering from broken backs and bloody faces,” prosecutors said.

On March 21, a Westminster woman came home to find her Bengal Lynx cat, named Clubber, was missing, the district attorney’s office said. Officials looked through video surveillance and found the suspect — later identified as Oliveros Acosta — with “what appeared to be a can of food, luring the cat before grabbing the animal and driving away in a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck,” prosecutors said.

Clubber was returned to his owners “after the theft was publicized,” however, the suspect was unidentified at the time, prosecutors said.

On April 3, a Santa Ana man was leaving his home when he saw his neighbor, Oliveros Acosta, “pick up a cat over his head and slam it to the ground,” officials said.

Two days later, animal control was called for reports of another cat “who was not moving,” with video surveillance revealing Oliveros Acosta picking up the cat out of his truck, dropping it on the ground in order to “stomp on it with his foot,” officials said.

After his arrest in April, Oliveros Acosta posted a $40,000 bail and was released before police finished their investigation and presented the case to the district attorney’s office, officials said.

Prosecutors have asked for bail to be increased from the statutory $20,000 bail to $100,000 “given the danger Oliveros Acosta poses to public safety,” officials said.

The investigation of the case remains ongoing and the district attorney’s office said anyone with additional information should contact the Santa Ana and Westminster police departments to determine whether additional charges can be added.

It is unclear whether Oliveros Acosta has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency injunction to block proceedings in a case involving a Freedom of Information request seeking information from the Department of Government Efficiency.

The government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington sued the budget-slashing agency earlier this year for public access to its records and its plans for overhauling the government.

The administration has claimed executive privilege, insisting that DOGE — as a presidential advisory board — is not subject to FOIA.

A federal court hearing the case is scheduled to proceed with depositions and document production as part of a hearing to determine whether FOIA applies.

Solicitor General John Sauer told the court that such an effort defeats the purpose of the litigation and effectively would expose private executive branch information.

A representative of CREW, responding to the administration’s request for an injunction, said in a statement, “While DOGE continues to attempt to fight transparency at every level of justice, we look forward to making our case that the Supreme Court should join the District Court and Court of Appeals in allowing discovery to go forward.”

A federal judge in March determined that DOGE likely should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

U.S. District Judge Chris Cooper ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive orders, his public statements about DOGE, and the agency’s “substantial authority over vast swathes of the federal government” were enough to determine that DOGE likely should be subject to FOIA, which gives media organizations and the public the right to access records from the federal government.

ABC News’ Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.

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(NEW ORLEANS) — Embattled Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson announced on Wednesday that she is suspending her reelection campaign a day after she accepted blame for the escape of 10 inmates from the New Orleans jail she oversees.

Facing mounting pressure over the mass jailbreak that allegedly involved member of her staff, Hutson said she is suspending her campaign to focus her attention on “security, accountability and public safety.”

Five of the 10 inmates who escaped the jail early Friday remained on the run on Wednesday, including one who is a convicted killer and two who have been charged with second-degree murder.

Hutson’s announcement came as she is faces growing calls from state representatives, crime victims and others to resign.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Hutson accepted blame for the breakout after a maintenance worker at the Orleans Justice Center, where the breakout occurred, was arrested on charges alleging he helped facilitate the escape. Hutson also announced that four other jail staff have been suspended and are under investigation for possible involvement in the jailbreak.

“I take full responsibility for what happened. This breach happened under my leadership, and it is my responsibility to ensure it is addressed with urgency and transparency,” Hutson said in her statement on Tuesday.

“To date, we have suspended staff, made an arrest, and launched comprehensive internal and external investigations,” she added. “We are also fully cooperating with the independent investigation led by the Louisiana Attorney General, and we have provided full access to all records, surveillance footage, and facility documentation.”

The 10 inmates exited the jail through a wall behind a toilet at 1:01 a.m. on Friday, Hutson said at an earlier news conference. They then made their way off the property through a loading dock door and scaled the perimeter wall using blankets to protect themselves from the barbed wire, according to the sheriff’s office. From there, officials said they had a clear path to the railroad tracks and then the interstate.

The inmates weren’t discovered missing until 8:30 a.m. Friday, when jail officials conducted a routine headcount, sheriff’s officials said.

The U.S. Marshals, Louisiana State Police and Probation and Parole were not notified of the escape until 9:30 a.m. on Friday, the sheriff’s office said. New Orleans police officials said they were notified at 10:30 a.m.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said he didn’t find out until a member of the news media called to ask him to confirm the breakout at about 10 a.m. on Friday. He said the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the jail, failed to notify local police and the public immediately.

“The public is the sixth man on the team in a jailbreak. You want to let the public know immediately when something like this happens,” Williams said. “The public was denied the opportunity to participate in this manhunt for eight hours. Law enforcement was denied the opportunity to start looking.”

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