Harrowing footage has revealed the moment an active-duty airman screamed "free Palestine" as he set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon.
The Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the incident after local authorities responded to reports of "a person on fire outside the Israeli Embassy."
In the video, posted on social media, the airman says: "My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide."
He adds: "I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it's not extreme at all.
"This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal."
The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The U.S. Air Force has confirmed he was an active-duty airman.
Independent reporter Talia Jane said on X, formerly Twitter, that Bushnell had died from his injuries.
Newsweek has approached the U.S. Air Force to confirm Bushnell was the individual involved via an email and online form outside of normal working hours.
Jane also said that, according to a friend named Errico, who met Bushnell in 2022, he was "the kindest, gentlest, silliest little kid in the Air Force."
An account on LinkedIn apparently used by Bushnell said he had been a member of the Air Force since 2020. He is described as an "aspiring software engineer."
A report in The New York Times indicated Bushnell filmed the incident and livestreamed the protest on the social media platform Twitch. The video has been removed from Twitch.
Blurred video shows footage of a man shouting "free Palestine" as he lights himself on fire and security staff attempting to extinguish the flames for more than a minute.
No embassy staff were injured in the incident.
Conflict in the Middle East escalated on October 7, 2023, when a surprise attack on southern Israel by Hamas killed around 1,200 people and roughly 250 were taken hostage, according to figures supplied by the Associated Press. The Israeli military has subsequently launched airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza.
Gaza's Health Ministry says up to 30,000 people have died in the territory since October 7, with 12,300 of them children, according to the AP.
A protester set themselves on fire outside the Israeli Consulate General building in Atlanta, Georgia, in December. Police said the incident was "likely an extreme act of political protest."
There have been mounting calls on President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza amid a rising death toll.
This month the U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution demanding such a ceasefire in Gaza saying the timing could jeopardize talks between Hamas and Israel.
Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Risheq called the decision "an immoral and inhumane position."
Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood said: "Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution."
He added: "For that reason, while the United States strongly supports a durable peace, in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate ceasefire."
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "988" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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Benjamin Lynch is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is U.S. politics and national affairs and he ... Read more
