Active-Duty Airman Sets Himself on Fire outside Israeli Embassy in DC
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An active member of the United States military set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC, according to officials, in an apparent act of protest against Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.
The incident unfolded just before 1 p.m. ET outside the gates of the Israeli embassy in northwest Washington, according to statements from the city's Metropolitan Police Department and Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, ABC News reported.
"We arrived to find an apparent adult male who had been on fire," the Fire and EMS Department said in its statement.
Members of the US Secret Service Uniformed Division extinguished the flames before fire crews arrived, officials said. Later Sunday, the US Air Force confirmed the man involved was an active duty airman.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and is listed in critical condition, according to police.
US media reported that the man livestreamed himself on Twitch, wearing fatigues and declaring he would “not be complicit in genocide” before dousing himself in liquid.
He then lit himself on fire while yelling “Free Palestine!” until he fell to the ground.
The footage has since been removed from Twitch. Local police said they are investigating the incident.
Police detectives, the Secret Service Uniformed Division and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the incident.
The police department's Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit was also called to the scene as police investigated a suspicious vehicle in the area that authorities believe is linked to the man. The vehicle was searched, but no hazardous material was found, police said.
The Israeli regime’s embassy has been the target of continued protest against the Israeli war on Gaza.
Since October 7, Israeli forces have waged a military campaign against the Gaza Strip, laying much of it to waste, with nearly 30,000 people dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
