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Early Start with Rahel Solomon

Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed In D.C. Shooting; Iran To Attend Next Round Of Talks In Rome On Friday. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired May 22, 2025 - 04:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the breaking news now. Police are investigating a deadly shooting near a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. that killed two of the Israeli embassy staff members. You see them here. Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry identifying them as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram.

The Israeli ambassador says that they were about to get engaged. D.C. police have detained a suspected gunman in this case. He's been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago.

I want to show you some brand new eyewitness video that's just into CNN, which appears to show the suspect that's being detained. You see him there, surrounded by authorities that are patting him down as they take him into custody. We're told that he was pacing back and forth outside the museum ahead of the shooting and then chanted, in his words, free Palestine while he was being taken into custody.

With us now on the phone is Yoni River Kalin, who took this video you just saw and witnessed this shooting -- the suspect being arrested. Yoni, thank you so much for taking time to check in with us and for sharing some of this footage. What can you tell us about what you saw and heard last night, and where were you?

YONI RIVER KALIN, WITNESS: Sure. So I just want to start off by prefacing the night. So the event was put on by the American Jewish Committee, and it was a board of young -- young professionals and about 30 embassies, or staffers from about 30 embassies from all over the world. I actually haven't gotten a lick of sleep. I've been up since the event. I got to the event at 6:30, and I guess now it's almost 4:00 in the morning.

Essentially, the premise of the event, and I think this is important, is talking about a multi-faith effort between Muslims, Christians, and Jews, figuring out the logistics of how to get aid into both Israel and, most importantly, how to get aid into Gaza.

So the basis of the event was a humanitarian one, not a political one. And, you know, here we were bringing in speakers to talk about their efforts on the ground and -- and how they're working to help people and help the people that are most in need. So I think it -- it just speaks to the horrific nature of this act of terror, where, you know, here were people trying to focus on humanitarian issues and focus on the people that need help.

And, you know, this -- this man just ruthlessly murdered two innocent people. So essentially what I remember is we heard roughly 10 to 15 gunshots around 9:07, between 9:07 and 9:10. Briefly after that, we -- we had a few people that left the event but quickly came back in after those gunshots were heard. And I believe that was the time where the suspect, who's now in custody, came in with those -- with those -- those people.

The suspect was clearly in a state of shock. I mean, he was probably processing a lot in his mind. He just murdered two people. And a lot of people at the time didn't know that he was the one with the gun. They didn't know that he was the one that initiated the shots. So people were checking in on him.

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He was sitting down on a bench. People brought him water. So here was a group of people trying to show humanity and take care of somebody that clearly looked in a state of distress.

And unfortunately, about five to six minutes later, when more cops started to show up, he -- he immediately walked up to the cops. He turned himself in. He said, I did this for Palestine. He started yelling, free, free Palestine, intifada revolution, there's only one solution. And at this point still, I didn't connect the dots necessarily. And it might sound ignorant.

People are like, are you crazy? But, you know, there's protesters at Jewish events all the time. And so I think there's a huge difference between somebody that's protesting, you know, the right to free speech is super important, but also someone that, you know, commits acts of violence and -- and two beautiful lives were lost this evening. And I can't even begin to think about the families and what they're dealing with.

And even my own network of friends, many of my friends knew these people. I think it was Sarah and Yaron, may the memories be a blessing. So I'm sorry my, you know, there's a lot of details here, and I'm still in a bit of a state of shock.

But, you know, what started off as a night of humanity and love and -- and connection turned into this kind of horrific, atrocious nightmare where somebody who clearly has -- was radicalized came in and decided to murder two people innocently. And I -- I think what -- what upsets me the most is, you know, we heard between 10 to 15 gunshots. I mean, this wasn't a -- this wasn't a one shot and he's done.

He -- he -- he emptied his chamber. And I'm sorry for providing those details. But I think what I'm trying to get at is overall the situation is horrific. And what I want to also say is I don't believe that everybody that says free Palestine is this level of crazy. And I just want to remember that we need to have humanity on both sides of this issue without getting into the politics.

And as horrific as this is, I think we need to initiate more dialogue between people because murdering innocent people is -- is the last thing that's going to lead us to a better solution in the future.

SANDOVAL: Could you tell us more about what this moment means? And -- and I think it's -- it's that last thought from you, which is so important here, and the concern among officials that this could not only lead to an increased number of attacks or more incidents --

KALIN: Yes.

SANDOVAL: -- against the Jewish community, but as you mentioned as well, for Muslim Americans, how do we now after this absolutely heartbreaking tragedy navigate through that down that line?

KALIN: It's a great question. And it's one I might get the Nobel Peace Prize for if I could figure it out. The reality is, you know, we, the Jewish people, are a strong people, and we're not afraid, and we're going to continue to, you know, support our own and -- and -- and get together and -- and gather as a community.

And I think with the -- with the Muslim community, there are more and more opportunities that the Jew -- Jewish community and the Muslims community -- and the Muslim community need -- need to come together for dialogue. So kind of harking back to the basis of this event, this was all about humanitarian aid and all about the collaboration between a, you know, a Palestinian-led organization and an Israeli-led organization in order to bring aid to people in Gaza and successfully deliver that aid. That's what's so phenomenal about this story, is it shows that these two peoples can coexist, can work together to find solutions. And I -- I don't want to spend too much time on the politics.

SANDOVAL: Can we move on very quickly?

KALIN: I, you know, yes. Go ahead.

SANDOVAL: Just one more question very quickly. You were in -- in that --

KALIN: Sure.

SANDOVAL: -- as you describe it, this multi-faith effort that was ongoing to get aid into the region in general. Were there members of a pro-Palestinian cause that were participating in those -- in those conversations before the shooting?

KALIN: There were embassies from over 30 countries around the world that had staffers there, and there was a representative from the organization. I mean this -- this discussion was completely off the record, so I can't mention the specific organizations involved, but there were members of that organization. And I -- I wouldn't say it's a pro-Palestinian or pro-Israel organization. It's a humanitarian aid organization, right. They're responsible for delivering aid all over the world, whether it's in Yemen, whether it's in Syria, and Gaza just happens to be one of those locations that really needs it right now.

SANDOVAL: Yes.

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KALIN: So, yes. I --it's -- a lot of this discussion was off the record, and no, it was -- it was -- it was an important gathering from people of all faiths and all backgrounds. And -- and, you know, when somebody that's radicalized comes in and -- and talks about intifada revolution and little did we know he murdered two people, that -- that's not a solution for anyone.

That doesn't bring peace or resolution to this issue, and it -- it just -- it scares a lot of Jewish people because, of course, you know, yelling free Palestine is totally legal, right? You have the right to free speech. You have the right to have Palestinian determination. That's all super important. But to come into a Jewish event to murder two people and then to, you know, be proud and take pride in the fact that he was responsible for that, that's -- that's what's really scary to me.

And I think the hate is what people want to focus on, and understandably, after an event like this, that's what people are concerned with, but what's important to me is how can we move forward and honor those memories of the people -- of the lives that were lost while also pushing forward as a community and stop the violence. We need to stop hating each other and start talking with each other.

SANDOVAL: Yoni, we are thinking about you, the entire community, and certainly about this young couple who's -- who was murdered yesterday. Thank you so much for that insight and for really highlighting --

KALIN: Of course.

SANDOVAL: -- that such -- so on point that is so important, which is this was a multi-faith effort that was being talked about before the shooting to get aid into the region. Thank you so much for your time.

KALIN: Of course. Yes, may their memories be a blessing. Thank you very much.

SANDOVAL: Indeed. Let's go now to Glenn Schoen, who's a security management consultant and terrorism expert. He joins us live now from The Hague. So much to go through here, Glenn. Just -- I'm hoping that you heard that from that eyewitness. Can you just speak to your initial reaction after hearing the description from -- from someone who was there that night?

GLENN SCHOEN, SECURITY MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT: Well, I think the first big point is that it appears to be an amateur effort, not an experienced hardened terrorist or gunman who was well-trained, had a clear plan, wanted to exploit this to the max using social media or other messaging and or being able to go after other targets. It appears to be somewhat of opportunistic last moment operation, but, you know, horrifically successful for all that. So that's one thing to park.

And then there's the area where I think the international and national security community will be looking at. And that's, you know, question number one, was there any kind of security failure here, potentially, that we could learn from? Two, is this going to prompt more incidents? And three, will we need and require more security elsewhere if it appears that -- that incidents may occur?

And you'll recall that we have had several recent plots over in Europe, specifically against Israeli targets. Most recently, a bullet plot was discovered to attack the Israeli embassy or personnel related to it in London. So it is something that I think everybody in the security community is watching very carefully what the outcome and effects of this will be.

SANDOVAL: From an investigative standpoint, what are investigators right now and have been working on throughout the night when it comes to the suspect who's been identified as a 30-year-old from Chicago? I assume they have to be going through his social media, through his electronic devices. And the most important thing here, they do have a suspect.

SCHOEN: Absolutely, they do. I think, you know, right now, you can imagine the -- the life of this person is -- is being mapped in detail to the greatest extent they can, his movements, his connections, his background, his education, network in terms of people he interacts with, the journey he took to -- to get to this location, what his life was like in the last few days. All of that is now being unpacked with, I'm presuming, the FBI in the lead, Washington Metropolitan Police Department in close support, and all of the other agencies behind that that usually sit in these task forces that enable these kinds of investigations.

And the key thing will be, and that's really what they're searching for, I think, at the moment, A, did anybody help this effort? So is there a larger structure or organization in any kind, you know, that a particular person inspire him or maybe enable him, like providing the firearm or providing intelligence on this event happening? So was this facilitated, in other words. Right now, the early indications are it looks like mostly a lone operator type of action and -- and an impromptu one at that.

SANDOVAL: Nonetheless, we'll certainly spark concerns in communities throughout the country. Glenn, what is your analysis of -- of how he took steps to claim responsibility, this alleged suspect, immediately after the shooting? He not only claimed responsibility according to a witness, but also lingered at the scene as authorities arrived.

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SCHOEN: Well, I think it speaks clearly to a motive very personal to him, but also something that he wasn't really prepared, I think, to -- to verbalize in any organized sense. So when we see, for instance, an extremist group at work or a terrorist group at work, generally, these are pre-planned. And as part of that, the communication is planned, the effectiveness and how to exploit the situation.

In this case, I think it --it looks like the gunman was truly overcome by sort of the horror, if you will, and the impact of what he had just done. I mean, killing other human beings is certainly not a natural act and shocking in and of itself. And -- and needing some time here to sort of figure out for himself, ah, this is what I did, this is the statement I wanted to make, and pull himself together.

So it's rather an unusual one from the viewpoint of -- of communicating what the cause was. Nevertheless, you're seeing a clear expression in a particular direction. So it's pretty clear, I think, to everybody where this person stood and -- and what the issue is this person wanted to verbalize.

SANDOVAL: Glenn Schoen, at the -- at The Hague, we are so grateful to have your expertise and your analysis. We really appreciate your time, Glenn.

SCHOEN: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: And stay with us. We'll be right back with more.

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SANDOVAL: Back to developing news and breaking news out of the nation's capital where we're learning of new developments at Capitol Hill where we could potentially see a vote soon happening. Any moment now, potentially, as they work to approve a bill to fund President Trump's agenda, Republican lawmakers, they have fought tooth and nail to actually get this legislation packet this far. And that potentially could finally overcome some party divisions within the Republican Party.

Now, if the House passes the bill, it would be heard in the Senate, where lawmakers there are saying that they already have some changes of their own in mind. Regardless, though, Republicans on the Hill, they are trying, keyword is trying, to show a united front.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump's one big, beautiful bill on behalf of the American people.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH): This bill's so darn conservative, so darn Republican. It does embrace core Republican principles, and that's why we should support it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a big thing. We cannot fail, and we'll get it done for the American people.

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SANDOVAL: So that's one massive story that we're following out of the nation's capital. The other, right now, two Israeli embassy staffers identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgram. They have been killed in a shooting near the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. last night.

Authorities saying that the suspect is in custody, stressing that there is no active threat to the community at this moment. A D.C. police chief saying that the suspect identified as a 30-year-old from Chicago, Elias Rodriguez is his name, that he, according to witnesses, chanted free Palestine after being detained.

So still a lot to gather on this investigation right now as authorities try to piece together, as we heard a few moments ago, they're going through the suspect's history and also, obviously, speaking to him, trying to get any more information there. Keep following that.

Elsewhere, Iran says that it will send a team to Rome for nuclear talks on Friday, but the U.S. has yet to confirm that it will actually attend. CNN's senior national correspondent, Fred Pleitgen, live at this hour in Tehran with more. Hey, Fred, what are you hearing? What are you learning?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Polo. I was really late in the evening. The Iranians then confirmed that they are going to be going to those talks in Rome to speak about, of course, Iran's nuclear program and how things go forward. But then they also said sanctions relief as well. It was really up in the air for a very long time because the Iranians had somewhat soured to the Trump administration and especially to Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special negotiator, because of some of the comments that he had made over the weekend saying that the U.S. could not accept the Iranians enriching nuclear fuel on their own territory.

The Iranians are saying this is a right that they have and it's something that they are not going to back away from. Of course, the Iranians have continued to insist that their nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes. They've also said that any form of verification of that, any sort of inspectors on the ground, is all something that can be talked about.

However, at the core, they say, they need to be able to continue to enrich uranium because it's something that Iran, of course, has worked a very long time to achieve. Of course, a lot of their nuclear scientists also have paid with their life for -- for achieving that as well. That's something that's going to be quite difficult in the negotiations.

It does appear as though the two sides are trying to work out possible mechanisms about how something like that could happen going forward. What we're hearing sort of here in Tehran and also from the U.S. is that both sides, I wouldn't say are optimistic, but at least are moving the process forward. And then we are, of course, on the streets of Tehran right now.

We've been speaking to people here. A lot of them are saying that they do hope that these negotiations do come to a successful conclusion. A lot of them are saying the economic situation, of course, here in this country, very difficult, mostly because of those sanctions. They hope that sanctions relief is something that could be in the cards fairly soon if a deal can be achieved.

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But at the same time, of course, Iran and the United States have been at points like this in the past. There has, of course, been a nuclear agreement in the past. So right now, people not getting their hopes up too high. Nevertheless, of course, keeping a very close eye on this process, Polo.

SANDOVAL: Fred Pleitgen, live in Tehran, keeping his fingers on the pulse of Iranians. Thank you so much, Fred.

And thank you for joining us here on Early Start. I'm Polo Sandoval in New York. I'm going to have much more on today's top stories and that breaking news out of Washington after this break.

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