WASHINGTON (AP) — An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force was seriously injured Sunday after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” he said. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, walked to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, the person said. Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, left his phone, and then doused himself with accelerant and lit the flames. At one point, he said that he “will no longer be complicit in the genocide,” the person said. The video was later removed from the platform, but a copy was obtained and reviewed by law enforcement officials.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Police did not immediately provide any additional details about the incident.
The incident occurred as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought cabinet approval for a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah while a temporary ceasefire deal was being negotiated. However, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has drawn criticism, including accusations of genocide against Palestinians.
Israel has strongly denied accusations of genocide and says it is carrying out operations in accordance with international law in the war between Israel and Hamas.
In December, a person committed self-immolation outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta using gasoline as an accelerant, according to Atlanta firefighters. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene and the event was believed to be an “extreme political protest.”
In a statement, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department said its officers had responded to the scene in front of the Israeli embassy to assist US Secret Service agents and had also called in its bomb squad to examine a suspicious vehicle. . Police said no hazardous materials were found in the vehicle.