Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in DC

WASHINGTON — An active-duty U.S. Air Force member has died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide.”

The 25-year-old pilot, Aaron Bushnell, of San Antonio, Texas, died from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.

Bushnell had walked to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, put down his phone, then doused himself with gas and ignited the flames. At one point he said he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” the person said. The video was later removed from the platform, but law enforcement officials obtained and reviewed a copy.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The incident happened as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought cabinet approval for a military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah while a temporary ceasefire was being negotiated. However, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has sparked criticism, including claims of genocide against the Palestinians.

Israel has firmly denied accusations of genocide and says it is conducting operations in accordance with international law in the war between Israel and Hamas.

According to the Atlanta Fire Department, someone set themselves on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December using gasoline as an accelerant. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene and the act was believed to be a form of “extreme political protest.”