US airman dies after setting himself on fire outside Israel embassy in Washington
- Man set himself ablaze after declaring that he will ‘not be complicit in genocide’
- He was taken to hospital after the fire was put out by US Secret Service officers
An active member of the US Air Force died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington on Sunday, officials said, as media reported he was protesting the war in Gaza.
The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan police department said on Monday.
In a statement on Monday, the Air Force said, “The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night.” The Air Force said it would provide additional information a day after military officials complete notifying his next of kin.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene just before 1pm in response to a “call for person on fire outside the Israeli Embassy,” according to a message on X, formerly Twitter, by the capital’s fire department.
They arrived to find that officers from the Secret Service - the US law enforcement agency tasked with protecting US political leaders, visiting heads of state and others - had already extinguished the fire.
The man was transported to hospital with “critical life threatening injuries,” the fire department said.