WASHINGTON: An active-duty member of the US Air Force set himself on fire Sunday outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. in protest against the war in Gaza, according to multiple reports.
The fire was extinguished by Secret Service personnel and the man was subsequently dispatched to an area hospital due to “critical life-threatening injuries,” said the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.
Multiple reports citing the live streaming of the incident said the man shouted “Free Palestine” as he burned.
The Washington Post cited a spokeswoman for the Air Force, Rose M. Riley, as confirming that “an active duty airman was involved in the incident.”
In the video, aired on the livestreaming platform Twitch and later removed, the man reportedly said he would “no longer be complicit in genocide,” in reference to the Israeli killings in Gaza since October. He also reportedly said, “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest.”
An investigation remains underway, according to authorities.
