A man set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, the police said.
With potentially fatal injuries, the individual who recorded and broadcast the demonstration was transferred to a medical facility. He was verified as an active-duty airman by the U.S. Air Force.
The Metropolitan Police Department reports that a guy set himself on fire on Sunday afternoon outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington. The man was confirmed to be an active-duty airman on Sunday night by Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Air Force.
According to Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the city’s fire department, the U.S. Secret Service put out the fire outside the embassy in northwest Washington at approximately one in the afternoon. With potentially fatal wounds, the man was sent to a local hospital and is still in critical condition.
Tal Naim, an embassy spokesperson, stated that no employees were hurt and that everyone was present.When the police claimed to have responded to the demonstration, the man seems to have recorded it on camera and broadcast it live on Twitch, a social media platform. The video showed a guy approaching the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, but the New York Times was unable to identify the account that uploaded it.
In the video, a guy declared, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” using words that opponents of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza have previously used to characterize the operation. “I’m going to perform a very dramatic act of protest.”
He put down his phone and filmed himself drenching himself in a transparent liquid from a metal bottle as he stood in front of the embassy gates. Then, as he was screaming, “Free Palestine!” he set himself on fire and collapsed to the ground.Just before the fire started, law enforcement personnel could be seen approaching him in the footage. Off-camera, one person was heard asking, “Can I help you, sir?” After then, the cops frantically worked for over a minute to extinguish the fire
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On Sunday afternoon, the channel was reported for breaking Twitch’s rules, and the video was taken down. The account included a header image of a Palestinian flag, and that was the only video uploaded to it.
On Sunday afternoon, the channel was reported for breaking Twitch’s rules, and the video was taken down. The account included a header image of a Palestinian flag, and that was the only video uploaded to it.
The individual in the video was wearing fatigues, and the name he gave on LinkedIn fit the profile of a Texas-based Air Force officer who is now on active service. The man’s identification has not been verified by the authorities.