On Sunday, a US airman tragically passed away after self-immolating in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, while shouting “free Palestine.”
Aaron Bushnell, 25, was taken to hospital after Secret Service officers extinguished the flames.
Before setting himself alight in what he called an “extreme act of protest”, he said he would “no longer be complicit in genocide”.
A spokeswoman confirmed that no embassy staff members were harmed during the incident. A Pentagon spokesman described the event, which occurred at 13:00 local time (18:00 GMT), as a “tragic event.”
In a live video broadcasted on the streaming site Twitch, Mr. Bushnell, attired in military uniform, identified himself and stated that he was an active member of the Air Force.
Mr Bushnell was taken to the hospital in a critical condition.
A bomb disposal unit was sent to the site over concerns about a suspicious vehicle that could have been connected to the individual. This was declared safe after no hazardous materials were found.
Washington police said officers were working with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to investigate the incident.
Mr Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, was raised in Massachusetts and attended public schools on the Cape Cod peninsula, according to a statement from a local school district.
The Air Force would not confirm details of Mr Bushnell’s service, citing family notification policies but Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, reported that he had held the rank of senior airman.
It is not the first time someone has set themselves on fire in front of an Israeli diplomatic mission in the US since the intensification of the conflict.
