Comment: Ynet reports that Bushnell has since died from his injuries, but other media outlets state that he has survived...
UPDATE 18:00 CET
New York Post confirms that Bushnell succumbed to his wounds in hospital. RIP.
© (Screenshot via Talia Jane on Twitter).Washington, D.C. emergency services took the man to a hospital with "critical life threatening injuries."
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.
Comment: It has actually, Bushnell livestreamed the whole thing on Twitch, which has removed it for 'content violation'. We won't be surprised if this becomes widely censored. They know it's damning for Israel. Here's the full video (Bushnell is blurred from the moment he catches fire):
Note the Israeli embassy guards training their weapons on him rather than helping him.
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.
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.
Comment: An extraordinary act of courage. Aaron Bushnell has since been reported as having died in Israeli media, although US and UK media states that he 'remains in critical condition'.
As the above article briefly mentions in its final paragraph, this is not the first time an American protester has self-immolated in protest at American military support for Israel's genocide in Gaza. A young woman did so outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta on December 1st last year, but the US police and media covered it up so that her name remains unknown.