On Sunday, a member of the United States Air Force set himself on fire in front of Israel’s embassy in Washington D.C., just before 1 pm local time.
Dressed in a military uniform, the individual identified by local journalist Talia Jane as Aaron Bushnell, was recorded on a Twitch broadcast dousing himself with a clear liquid before he self-immolates. The video was quickly taken down by the streaming service for a terms-of-use violation.
Warning: Graphic content in video:
Prior to the episode, the 25-year-old, could be heard on the recording saying that he would “no longer be complicit in genocide,” and that he was “about to engage in an extreme act of protest.”
Bushnell shouted “free Palestine” several times as he was burning.
Officers from the Secret Service were seen using fire extinguishers to put out the flames before the protestor was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Jane reported on Sunday night that he had succumbed to his injuries.
A press official at the Pentagon confirmed that they were aware of the incident but gave no further details.
A LinkedIn account appearing to be Bushnell’s, states that he joined the military in 2020 and was assigned to an IT unit. The same website describes him as being a student at Southern New Hampshire University.
A spokesperson for the embassy, Tal Naim, said that no staff members were injured during the event, and all were accounted for.
Since the start of the October war against the Hamas terrorist organization, security around Israeli diplomatic missions has been increased from their already high levels of protection.
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