Horrifying moment protestor self-immolates outside White House
A protester tried to set himself on fire during a pro-Palestinian rally outside the White House.
It was seen that Samuel Mena Jr. tried to set himself on fire in Lafayette Park, where a large number of protesters gathered on Saturday.
Photos taken at the scene by the White House capture the harrowing moment Mena’s arm went up in flames.
Mena, who claims to be a ‘visual storyteller’, was seen waving his burning arm through the air as he screamed in pain.
A protester tried to set himself on fire during a pro-Palestinian rally outside the White House
Samuel Mena Jr. attempted to set himself on fire Saturday in Lafayette Park, where a large number of people were gathered
In the photos, police officers are seen approaching cautiously as attempts are made to help him.
Shortly after Mena set his arm on fire, bystanders rushed to pour water on him to extinguish the flames.
Video recorded after the fire was extinguished shows Mena standing among a group of police officers.
His arm is white and appears to be badly burned.
You see the journalist waving his burning arm through the air while screaming in pain. In the photos, police officers approach Mena cautiously
Shortly after Mena set his arm on fire, bystanders reportedly rushed to pour water on him to extinguish the flames.
Amid shuddering cries of pain, Mena shouted about “misinformation.”
“I’m a journalist and I said it was okay,” he whined.
Near the end of the video, shot by Jessica Costescu, a bystander rushes over to Mena and pours some water on his burned arm.
Moments later, an officer pushes him aside and shouts ‘backwards!’
The shocking act comes just before the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s brutal surprise attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 and sparked all-out war in Gaza. The war has caused the deaths of more than 41,000 Palestinians.