Aaron Bushnell, aged 25, was rushed to the hospital by Secret Service officers after they extinguished flames engulfing him.
In a dramatic act of protest, Bushnell set himself alight, declaring he would “no longer be complicit in genocide.”
Fortunately, no embassy staff members were harmed during the incident, according to a spokeswoman.
A Pentagon spokesman referred to the event, which occurred at 1:00 PM local time (18:00 GMT), as a “tragic event.”
In a livestreamed video on Twitch, Bushnell, donned in military attire, identified himself as a serving member of the Air Force.
Prior to the incident, he had sent emails to several reporters and left-wing and anarchist news outlets. The Atlanta Community Press Collective shared a copy of the email with the BBC.
In the email, Bushnell stated, “Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people,” warning of its potentially disturbing nature.
Bushnell was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.
Due to concerns about a suspicious vehicle potentially linked to Bushnell, a bomb disposal unit was dispatched to the scene. However, it was declared safe after no hazardous materials were found.
Authorities, including the Washington police, Secret Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are collaborating on the investigation.
Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Bushnell grew up in Massachusetts and attended public schools on the Cape Cod peninsula, according to a statement from a local school district.
While the Air Force did not confirm details of Bushnell’s service, citing family notification policies, Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, reported that he held the rank of senior airman.
On his LinkedIn profile, Bushnell indicated that he graduated from Air Force basic training “top of class” in November 2020 and expressed a desire to transition into software engineering.
The Israel-Gaza conflict erupted on October 7th last year when Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 253 hostages.
In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of 29,300 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry under Hamas.
As of mid-January, UN data indicated that 1.9 million civilians in Gaza had been displaced amid Israel’s military operations, accounting for 85% of the population.
In an interview with CBS News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the offensive, asserting that America would take more substantial action if faced with a similar attack.
This incident isn’t the first of its kind since the escalation of the conflict. In December, a protester self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Georgia, USA.
