Two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead outside a Jewish museum in downtown Washington DC

The two were named by the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, shouted "free, free Palestine" after the attack.

The man who killed two Israeli embassy staff outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC on Wednesday night is an active member of a far-left Marxist, pro-Palestine group called the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

The victims, a young couple, were shot while leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, DC police said, adding that the incident appears targeted.

The shooting happened at 21:05 local time (01:05 GMT) in an area with numerous tourist sites, museums and government buildings, including the FBI's Washington field office.

The incident triggered a major police response and shut down several core streets in the city.

Israeli embassy spokesman Tal Naim Cohen confirmed that two staff members were shot "at close range" while attending the event at the museum.