According to the Pentagon, a US Air Force active member lost his life after lighting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington over the weekend in protest of the Gaza War, reports RTE.
The unidentified man “succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night,” according to an Air Force official.
“We will provide additional details 24 hours after next of kin notifications are complete,” the statement added, reports RTE.
After the fire was extinguished by US Secret Service agents, DC Fire and EMS announced on their website, and the man was taken to a nearby hospital.
An Air Force spokesman verified that an airman on active duty was engaged in the incident.
According to the New York Times, the man declared, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” in a video that he streamed live over the internet while dressed in military fatigues.
Both the Secret Service and local police are looking into the event.
The ongoing demonstrations against the war in Gaza have targeted Israel’s embassy, sparking pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations throughout the US, reports RTE.
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