A U.S. military service member has set himself on fire in an apparent solidarity with the Palestinians against Israeli war in Gaza.
The soldier carried out this act outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
He was later transported to an area hospital after the fire was put out by U.S. Secret Service officers, DC Fire and EMS posted online.
The soldier remains in critical condition, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said Sunday afternoon.
An Air Force spokesperson confirmed that the incident involved an active-duty airman. “I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” said the man, wearing military fatigues, in a video he broadcast live over the internet, according to The New York Times.
He then got himself doused in a clear liquid and set himself on fire, screaming “Free Palestine,” the Times reported.
The police and other security agencies are currently investigating the incident.
The war started after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and killed 1200 and kidnapped over 200 others.
The war in Gaza has sparked off pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States.
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