A military service member who set himself on fire Sunday in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., has died, a U.S. Air Force spokesperson told HuffPost Monday.
Officials did not disclose the man’s identity, but the individual introduced himself as 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell in a livestream of his own self-immolation. His friends and family have reportedly been notified of his death.
The U.S. Air Force confirmed that Bushnell was an active-duty airman.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department said they responded on Sunday afternoon to assist the U.S. Secret Service “after an individual set themselves on fire in front of an embassy in the block.” Members of the Secret Service’s uniformed division extinguished the man outside the embassy before D.C. Fire and EMS transported him to a local hospital.
D.C. Fire at the time told HuffPost that the man was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. Independent journalist Talia Jane first reported on Sunday night that Bushnell died of his injuries.
The Israeli Embassy told HuffPost that Bushnell was unknown to the institution and that there were no injuries among embassy staff.
In the video, which was reportedly streamed from Bushnell’s phone on Twitch, the service member said that his decision was in protest of Israel’s offensive in Gaza and the U.S.’s support for the monthslong violence. The video was obtained by Jane, who said that Bushnell’s loved ones consented to her sharing the disturbing footage online with the actual self-immolation censored.
“I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force, and I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” Bushnell can be heard saying in the video as he walks down a street while wearing his military fatigues.
“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,” he continued. “This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”
“I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force, and I will no longer be complicit in genocide.”
- Aaron Bushnell, 25
After arriving at what appears to be the Israeli Embassy’s driveway, Bushnell sets down his phone to continue recording as he walks toward the embassy’s gate. The airman then dumps liquid on himself and throws the bottle while someone outside the camera’s view says, “Hey sir, can I help you?”
Bushnell then ignites himself, repeatedly yelling “Free Palestine” while he burns.
Men’s voices can be heard outside the camera’s view repeatedly shouting for Bushnell, who is engulfed in flames, to “get on the ground.” The airman is burning for nearly one minute, after which he collapses, before anyone approaches him to help.
One officer in a white shirt is then seen running to Bushnell with a fire extinguisher, while another officer who appears to be Secret Service stays stationary with his gun drawn on the burning airman.
“I don’t need guns, I need fire extinguishers,” the officer extinguishing the fire shouts. Another officer then arrives to help extinguish Bushnell.
The Atlanta Community Press Collective, which also obtained Bushnell’s footage on Sunday, said on Sunday that prior to carrying out the self-immolation, the airman reached out to the collective and multiple other outlets to request “the footage is preserved and reported upon.”
Bushnell’s death appears to be the second instance of self-immolation in protest of the military offensive in Gaza, after an individual set themselves on fire in December outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta.
On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in roughly 250 hostages, about half of whom were released during a temporary cease-fire last year. Israel’s ongoing retaliation in Gaza has killed nearly 30,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — and displaced more than a million civilians while blocking life-saving aid.
The U.S. has provided unconditional financial, military and diplomatic support for Israel’s offensive, drawing massive backlash from a growing number of Americans, other nations and human rights agencies like the United Nations. Israel is currently facing accusations from South Africa that its offensive amounts to genocide against Palestinians.
“In just a few minutes, Aaron Bushnell exhibited more courage than every member of the U.S. administration,” Ashish Prashar, a pro-Palestinian human rights activist, said in a statement on Monday.
“Make no mistake that Bushnell’s death is on President Biden’s hands,” he continued. “As the commander of the armed forces, as the sponsor of a genocide, as someone who has ignored every peaceful form of protest, Biden is responsible.”
Neither the White House nor the Pentagon immediately responded to HuffPost’s request for comment. President Joe Biden has yet to publicly address Bushnell’s self-immolation.
The morning before he self-immolated, a Facebook post was made on an account appearing to belong to Bushnell, where he spoke out against the U.S. supporting Israel.
“Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’” Bushnell wrote.
“The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.”
Marita Vlachou contributed reporting.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.