By Michael Swaney
An active-duty member of the US Air Force, who identified himself as Aaron Bushnell, set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, on Sunday.
In a self-recorded video of the incident, Bushnell says, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide” before stating that what he’s about to do is minimal compared with the suffering of Palestinians.
While standing in front of the gates of the embassy, he placed the device he was using to record on the ground and doused himself in a flammable liquid.
He can be seen attempting to light his clothing on fire but after a few attempts, he isn’t able to.
He eventually was able to light the liquid on the ground below him right as law enforcement arrived.
He was quickly engulfed in flames and yelled “Free Palestine” numerous times. He maintained a standing position as his uniform melted away and his skin became visibly charred.
He eventually collapsed after he appeared to lose consciousness.
Police officers were also seen in the video scrambling to extinguish the flames with fire extinguishers.
“The Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 3500 block of International Drive, NW, at approximately 1:00 p.m., to assist the United States Secret Service after an individual set themselves on fire in front of an embassy in the block,” the Washington Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.
According to the DC Fire Department, the US Secret Service had already extinguished the flames by the time they arrived on the scene.
By the time firefighters were dispatched to the scene, the fire had already been extinguished by the US Secret Service, according to Vito Maggiolo, a public information officer from DC Fire.
The Air Force confirmed the man featured in the video was an active-duty airman but did not confirm his identity.
A spokeswoman for the Air Force, Rose M. Riley, confirmed in an email that “an active duty airman was involved in today’s incident,” adding that she could not provide further details of the man’s service as of Sunday evening.
The entire graphic video can be viewed on Facebook.
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