US air force officer sets himself ablaze outside Israeli embassy in Washington

A member of the United States’ air force set himself on fire on Sunday afternoon outside the Israeli embassy in Washington.

Ann Stefanek, US air force spokesperson, confirmed the man was an active-duty member but did not disclose his identity.

The man who filmed himself and live-streamed on Twitch, the social media platform, said his actions were in protest of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.

In the video, the man could be heard saying “I will no longer be complicit in genocide”, while standing before the embassy gates.

“I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” he added, before setting his phone down to film dousing himself in a clear liquid from a metal bottle.

He then lit himself on fire while yelling “Free Palestine!” until he fell to the ground.

The video was later taken down from the social media platform and replaced with a message stating that the channel violated Twitch’s guidelines.

Vito Maggiolo, the city’s fire department spokesperson, said the airman survived the incident after officers with the US secret service extinguished the fire.

Maggiolo said he was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries and remains in critical condition.

Tal Naim, spokesperson of the Israeli embassy, said no staff members were injured and all were accounted for.

In December, a person self-immolated outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta and used gasoline as an accelerant, according to Atlanta’s fire authorities.

A Palestinian flag was found at the scene, and police said the act was believed to be one of “extreme political protest”.