US Air Force Israel Palestine Aaron Bushnell Washington

A member of the US Air Force died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, while declaring that he would “no longer engage in genocide”.

US Secret Service officers extinguished the fire before the seriously injured man was taken to hospital on Sunday afternoon.

The US Air Force confirmed that an active-duty serviceman was involved in the self-immolation. According to a BBC report, the man was identified as Aaron Bushnell, 25, of San Antonio, Texas.

In a video that went viral on social media, the man identified himself and said he was a serving member of the Air Force. Before setting himself on fire he said he would “no longer engage in genocide”.

The video shows Bushnell in uniform shouting “Free Palestine” as he burns down his identification in front of the embassy building. According to The Guardian, it continued to burn for about a minute before law enforcement agencies extinguished the flames.

An Israeli embassy spokesperson said that no staff were injured and that the man was “unknown” to them.

“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I have done if I were alive during slavery?'” Bushnell said in a post circulated on the social media website Facebook. Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’ The answer is, you’re doing it. Now.”

However, the authenticity of the post could not be confirmed.

This is not the first time that someone has committed suicide in front of the Israeli Embassy in America.

Earlier in December 2023, a protester set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Consulate in Georgia, USA. According to police, the protestor used petrol and a Palestinian flag was found at the scene.