US Airman Dies After Setting Himself on Fire Outside Israeli Embassy in DC

“The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night,” a service spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Police are deployed outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Feb. 25, 2024, after an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force was critically injured after setting himself ablaze outside the diplomatic compound. WJLA via AP

A member of the U.S. Air Force has died after setting himself on fire on Feb. 25 outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington in an apparent protest of Israeli military operations throughout the Gaza Strip.

In a graphic live-streamed video subsequently shared across social media on Feb. 25, a man identifying himself as Aaron Bushnell and as an active-duty airman walked out in front of a gate leading to the Israeli Embassy and poured an accelerant over himself before lighting himself on fire. He appeared to be dressed in a full set of camouflage fatigues.