“I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” said the active duty airman during the live-stream.
By World Israel News Staff
An active duty member of the U.S. Air Force set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. on Sunday, in what he described as an “extreme act of protest” against the ongoing Israeli offensive in Gaza.
The man, who approached the embassy at around 1 p.m., used his phone to live-stream the incident, broadcasting his actions to viewers on gaming-oriented social media platform Twitch.
Dressed in combat fatigues, he introduced himself as Aaron Bushnell, a member of the Air Force.
“I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” he said, as he poured flammable liquid on his clothing.
Time Magazine, which viewed the footage of the incident, said he then began walking up the driveway of the Embassy.
“But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all,” Bushnell continued. “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”
He then set himself on fire, shouting “Free Palestine” several times before collapsing to the ground.
A spokesman for the Air Force later confirmed that the person involved in the self-immolation was an active duty Airman, but did not verify Bushnell’s name.
Local media reported that Bushnell was hospitalized in critical condition, but some social media users said that his family confirmed he died.
Washington D.C. police and the Secret Service are investigating the incident.
No Israeli embassy staff were hurt, a spokesman said. He added that there had been no previous security incidents with Bushnell, describing him as “unknown” to them.
According to Bushnell’s LinkedIn profile, he was a DevOps engineer for the Air Force who worked in San Antonio, Texas. It’s unclear if he traveled to the Washington D.C. area with the intention to self-immolate.