A US airman, who had earlier set himself on fire in front of the
Israeli embassy in Washington DC in apparent protest against Israel’s
war on Gaza, has died of his injuries.
The man, identified by police as Aaron Bushnell, 25, of San Antonio,
Texas, said he would “no longer be complicit in genocide” before
setting himself on fire.
Officers from the US Secret Service put out the fire before the man
was taken to hospital on Sunday afternoon. The incident happened at
13:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Sunday.
In a video aired live on a streaming site, Twitch, the man identified
himself and said he was a serving member of the Air Force.
He said he was “about to engage in an extreme act of protest.” After
setting himself on fire, he repeatedly shouted “free Palestine”.
Bushnell was taken to the hospital in very bad condition.
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington said that it was “not
confirming the authenticity of the video”.
There were no reports of injuries on the embassy staff members, a
spokeswoman for the embassy said.
A bomb disposal unit was sent to the site over concerns about a
suspicious vehicle that could have been connected to the individual.
This was later declared safe after no hazardous materials were found.
DC police said officers were working with the US Secret Service and
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate
the incident.
The Air Force would not confirm details of Mr Bushnell’s service,
citing family notification policies.
The Israel-Gaza war erupted on 7 October last year when Hamas
militants infiltrated southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and
taking 253 others hostage.
Israel then launched a full scale invasion of Gaza, a campaign that
has killed about 29, 000 Palestinians and injured over 68, 000
according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
