A U.S. Force member has succumbed to his injuries after a self-immolation incident outside the Israeli embassy in Washington DC.
25-year-old Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire at around 1 p.m. Sunday after live-streaming his final moments as he doused himself in accelerant and ignited his body.
“My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” he reportedly said in the video posted on Twitch.
“I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”
Bushnell then walked up the driveway of the diplomatic compound and proceeded to ignite himself while shouting “Free Palestine” multiple times.
Officers rushed to extinguish the flames as Bushnell collapsed on the ground. D.C. Fire and EMS rushed him to a hospital where he died late Sunday.
The Air Force confirmed that Bushnell was a cyber defense operations specialist with the 531st Intelligence Support Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio.
“When a tragedy like this occurs, every member of the Air Force feels it,” Col. Celina Noyes commented.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Senior Airman Bushnell.”
