A US Air Force member is in critical condition after he reportedly set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, Sunday afternoon.
In a horrifying video that has since become viral on the internet and social media platforms like Twitter, a man can be seen shouting slogans and then setting himself on fire.
Who is Aaron Bushnell and what motivated him to take this extreme step? Continue reading this write-up to know about this story.
Viewer discretion advised: This video contains distressing imagery of self-immolation, presented in a surreal blue tint
As mentioned above, the person in this video is a US Air Force member named Aaron Bushnell. He was a serving officer of the US Air force.
In the video, it can be seen that he is introducing himself as an active-duty airman. He however does not disclose his name or rank.
The video which was streamed live on Twitch shows the officer in his uniform standing outside the Israeli Embassy gate.
He could be heard shouting,
“I will no longer be complicit in genocide [in Gaza]. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest,”
Later he set fire to himself shouting ‘Free Palestine’ repeatedly.
The video also shows authorities asking Aaron Bushnell to get down on the ground and asking if he needed any help.
One man can be seen dousing the airmen on fire with a fire extinguisher while another man can be seen drawing his weapon.
The horrific video was immediately removed from Twitch for violating its guidelines but a blurred version of the video rapidly became viral on social media platforms like Twitter, and Reddit.
Aaron Bushnell was immediately rushed to the hospital after the incident in critical condition and has died, as reported by Hindustan Times.
In a statement, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the media that no embassy staff was injured in the incident and the airman had no links to the embassy before the incident.
This is not the first time that someone tried self-immolation in the US as a form of protest over the ongoing conflict in Gaza. In December 2023 also a protester had set herself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.
The Israeli invasion of Gaza has taken a huge toll and more than 30,000 Palestinians including women and children have lost their lives.
The invasion was prompted by a terrorist attack by Hamas into Israel which killed 1200 Israelis mostly civilians and more than 250 people taken hostage. Over 145 hostages are still in captivity.
Also Read: Israel-Hamas war: Ceasefire, hostage exchange likely before March 10
