A man wearing a U.S. Air Force uniform set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. today.
The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department confirmed to Task & Purpose that they received a report about a man on fire outside the embassy just before 1 p.m. Eastern Time and dispatched emergency services. The fire had been extinguished by uniformed members of the Secret Service. EMS took the man to an area hospital, saying he was suffering from “critical life threatening injuries.”
The incident appears to be in protest of Israel’s war in Gaza. Independent journalist Talia Jane obtained video of the self-immolation, although it has not been posted online. On X, former known as Twitter, Jane reports that the man in Air Force uniform said he was “an active duty member of the U.S. Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide.” He then set himself on fire and shouted “Free Palestine.”
Law enforcement responded, putting out the fire with three fire extinguishers. Law enforcement also drew a gun on the burning man during the incident. After emergency services transported the man to a hospital, authorities searched the area around the embassy.
Task & Purpose contacted the United States Secret Service about the incident but as of press time has not heard back.
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It is unclear if the man was in fact with the Air Force and if so if he is active duty. A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force said the service could not confirm the status of the man in the uniform as it did not have the name of the person. A press officer for the Department of Defense confirmed it was aware of the incident but did not have any information on the individual.
The Israeli war in Gaza, which started following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas, has resulted in the deaths of thousands and is still ongoing. In December, a person set themselves on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in protest of the war.
This is a developing story.
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