A 25-year-old US airman named Aaron Bushnell died after self-immolating in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, shouting “free Palestine.”
He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and despite efforts by Secret Service officers to extinguish the flames, he succumbed to his injuries.
In a video streamed on Twitch, Bushnell, dressed in military uniform, identified himself as a serving member of the Air Force and declared his act as an “extreme act of protest” against the alleged genocide of the Palestinian people.
Before the incident, Bushnell had emailed reporters and left-wing/anarchist news websites, stating his intention to engage in an extreme act of protest.
The Pentagon termed the incident a “tragic event.”
A bomb disposal unit was dispatched due to concerns about a suspicious vehicle, which was later declared safe.
Details about Bushnell’s military service were not confirmed by the Air Force, citing family notification policies, but reports suggest he held the rank of senior airman.
In his Linkedin profile, he mentioned graduating from Air Force basic training in November 2020 and expressed a desire to transition into software engineering.
The incident occurred amid the Israel-Gaza conflict, with Bushnell referencing the alleged genocide of Palestinians as the motivation for his protest.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the offensive in a CBS News interview.
This incident follows a similar one in December when a protester self-immolated in front of the Israeli consulate in Georgia.
In that case, a Palestinian flag was found at the scene, indicating a connection to the ongoing conflict.
Source-BBC
