Ilhan Omar refuses to answer reporter questions on fatal shooting of Israeli Embassy workers

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., avoided answering questions from reporters regarding the shooting in Washington, D.C., that killed two Israeli Embassy staffers departing the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday evening. 

"I’m going to go for now," Omar, the first Somali American elected to Congress, told reporters Thursday when asked if she would react to the shooting. 

A spokesperson for Omar did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Later, Omar said she was "appalled" by the shooting and said that violence is not welcome in the U.S.  

"I am appalled by the deadly shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum last night," Omar said in a post on X on Thursday. "Holding the victims, their families, and loved ones in my thoughts and prayers.  Violence should have no place in our country."

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were departing an event at the museum Wednesday evening when they were gunned down and killed. The two were planning to get engaged soon, according to the Embassy of Israel. 

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A pro-Palestinian man, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was arrested in connection with the case, according to authorities. 

Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, has been a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause. She has come under scrutiny for comments toward the Jewish community, including when she appeared at a Columbia University encampment in April 2024 and said that all Jewish kids should remain safe "whether they’re pro-genocide or anti-genocide."

Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, was also arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University that same month. 

Lischinsky, born in Israel, grew up in Germany. While his father is Jewish, his mother is a Christian, and the family is considered Christian. Milgrim was an American employee working for the Israeli Embassy. 

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President Donald Trump and other Republicans have been outspoken and labeled the attack an act of antisemitism. 

"These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" he wrote on Truth Social post. "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!"

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Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that those responsible for the attack would face justice. 

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the murder of two staff members from the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC," Rubio wrote Thursday on X. "Our prayers are with their loved ones. This was a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice." 

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.