An active-duty U.S. Air Force serviceman has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., declaring he would “not participate in genocide again.”
Airman Aaron Bushnell, 25, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Bushnell approached the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday and began broadcasting live on the video streaming platform Twitch, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Law enforcement officials believe the man began live-streaming, put down his phone, and then doused himself with flammable gas and ignited the flames. At one point, he said he would “not participate in genocide anymore,” the person said. The video was later removed from the platform, but law enforcement officials obtained and reviewed a copy.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The BBC said in a statement on Monday: “The man involved in yesterday’s incident died last night from his injuries.” The Air Force said it would provide more information the next day after the military notifies his next of kin.
The incident occurred as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought cabinet approval for a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah while a temporary ceasefire is negotiated. However, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has drawn criticism, including accusations of genocide against Palestinians.
Israel has categorically denied accusations of genocide and says it conducts operations in accordance with international law within Israeli territory. War between Israel and Hamas.
December, man self-immolates near the Israeli consulate According to the Atlanta Fire Department, gasoline was used as an accelerant in Atlanta. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene and the act was seen as an “extreme political protest”.
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Associated Press writer Tara Kopp contributed to this report.