WASHINGTON — UPDATE 9:12 a.m.- CNN reports that the service member has died.
An active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force was critically injured Sunday after he set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., while declaring that he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” a person familiar with the incident told the Associated Press.
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The man, whose name hasn’t been released, walked up to the embassy around 1 p.m. and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, the Associated Press reported.
Police believe that the man set the phone down, doused himself in some sort of lighter fluid and ignited the flames. The person familiar with the incident told the Associated Press that the man said he “will no longer be complicit in genocide” at one point in the video.
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The video has been removed from the platform, but police have obtained a copy and are reviewing the footage.
The person was not allowed to publicly discuss details on the investigation and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The police haven’t provided many details about the incident.
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The incident happened as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks cabinet approval for military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah while a temporary cease-fire deal is in the works. Israel’s military offensive, however, has drawn considerable criticisms, including genocide claims against the Palestinian people.
Israel has adamantly denied the genocide allegations and says it’s carrying out war in accordance with international law.
In December, the Associated Press reported that a protester lit themself on fire with gasoline outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. Police found a Palestinian flag at the scene, so the act was believe to be an “extreme political protest.”
The Associated Press said that the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington wrote in a statement that its officers responded to the scene outside the Israeli Embassy to assist U.S. Secret Service officers and its bomb squad check a suspicious vehicle. Police said no hazardous materials were found.
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