Man who set himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington DC is hospitalized with life-threatening injuries
A MAN set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC on Sunday afternoon, said police.
The flames were extinguished by officers with the US Secret Service around 1 pm.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries and is in critical condition.
A suspicious vehicle was also investigated for possible explosives, however, a spokesman said the scene had been cleared by 4 pm.
Officers with the Secret Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, worked with Washington’s explosive ordinance disposal unit to investigate the scene.
No embassy staff members were injured, said Tal Naim, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy.
Chilling video and photos shared on social media claim to show the man, dressed in fatigues as flames surround him.
Reports claim that the man introduced himself as “an active duty member of the US Air Force.”
Before ignition, the man reportedly said that he could “no longer be complicit in genocide.”
The man reportedly emailed several reporters on Sunday morning that read, “Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest” regarding the war in Gaza.
As the fire blazed, the man reportedly shouted “Free Palestine.”
The man burned for about a minute before he fell to the ground, according to the video.
As the war in Gaza continues, the Israeli embassy has been the site of several protests, said local health ministry officials.
At the time of writing, at least 29,629 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip.
Israel estimated that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’ October 7 attack and about 240 soldiers have been killed since the start of the war.
Hamas took more than 253 people hostage during the attack.
More than 100 people were freed in exchange for more than 200 Palestinian detainees, however, Israel belives there are more than 100 hostages remaining in Gaza.
In December, a protestor self-immolated in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, Georgia.
At the time, police said the incident was “likely an extreme act of political protest.”
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Metropolitan Police Department for comment.