A 25-year-old US airman died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington DC. Aaron Bushnell from San Antonio, Texas, made a statement before the incident, saying he would “no longer be complicit in genocide” and shouted “free Palestine”. The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating, along with other agencies like the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Fortunately, no embassy staff were harmed, and a bomb disposal unit found no hazardous materials at the scene.
Before the incident, Bushnell reached out to reporters and left-wing news sites, outlining his plan to protest against the genocide of Palestinian people. He cited the high civilian casualties in Gaza during the Israel-Gaza conflict as his motivation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his country’s actions in the conflict during an interview with CBS News. This is not the first self-immolation incident outside an Israeli diplomatic mission in the US, as a similar event took place outside the Israeli consulate in Georgia in December.
The incident has sparked conversations about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the impact it has on individuals around the world. It serves as a reminder of the deep-rooted emotions and tensions that exist within the region and its global implications. The investigation into Bushnell’s self-immolation continues as authorities work to understand the motive behind his drastic actions.
