The active duty U.S. Air Force member who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy has died of his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed on Monday.
Aaron Bushnell, 25, of San Antonio, lit himself on fire in front of the embassy on Sunday afternoon. First responders took him to a hospital, where he later died, the MPD said.
Bushnell began livestreaming to Twitch as he approached the embassy, declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The person was not authorized to publicly discuss the details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Officials believe Bushnell started the stream, set his phone on the ground, poured liquid over himself, and lit himself on fire. The video was removed from Twitch, but a copy was obtained and reviewed by investigators.
MPD said in an email that it is aware of the video but “is not confirming the authenticity of this video as it is part of the investigation.”
The Air Force confirmed on Monday that Bushnell is an active duty member and that more information would be provided “24 hours after next of kin notifications are complete.”
The MPD said police are working with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to investigate the incident.
Officials would not confirm whether the self-immolation was an act of protest.
Attempts to reach Bushnell’s family were unsuccessful on Monday.
Protests against war in Gaza grow
In December, a protester set themselves on fire in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. Although officials did not confirm whether the act was a form of protest, police found a Palestinian flag near the scene.
Protests in support of Palestinian rights and against U.S. military support for Israel have been widespread since Israel launched its invasion of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7.
The ongoing Israeli operation has now killed more than 29,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The death toll could grow as Israel announced plans to possibly invade Rafah, where many of the enclave’s residents have sought shelter away from the battle.
Across the United States, protesters have shut down major roads like the Los Angeles Freeway, entered Congress, and interrupted speeches and testimony by Biden administration officials.
Late last month, as Biden held his first official major campaign rally of 2024, demonstrators repeatedly shouted, “Cease-fire now!” and “Genocide Joe!”
On Jan. 13, thousands gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest ongoing U.S. support for Israel’s war. The nation’s capital also drew a crowd of demonstrators on Nov. 4, as crowds in cities across the world marched to demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
A group of demonstrators holding a banner reading “Liberation for Palestine and Planet” also interrupted the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York in November.
Some protests even entered the world of virtual reality, with pro-Palestinian marches taking place in the virtual universe of Roblox.
Self-immolation as protest
Self-immolation as a form of protest swept America’s cultural consciousness after Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in the streets of Saigon on June 11, 1963. The photographs of Quang Duc’s extreme protest against the regime of U.S.-backed President Ngo Dinh Diem, captured by AP photographer Malcolm Browne, shocked the world and fueled the movement against American involvement in Vietnam.
In March of 1965, Alice Herz, an 82-year-old German Jewish immigrant and peace activist, became the first known American to engage in protest against the war by lighting herself on fire, according to the Center for Independent Documentary. As she was taken to the hospital, she said, “I did it to protest the arms race all over the world,” the Detroit Free Press reported at the time.
Later that year, Norman Morrison, a 31-year-old Quaker activist from Baltimore, lit himself on fire in front of the Pentagon under the office window of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. His 11-month-old daughter Emily, who he took with him, survived, but Morrison died of his injuries, according to WETA.
Contributing: Associated Press
First appeared on www.usatoday.com