The 25-year-old active duty airman who lit himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., in protest of Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas has succumbed to his injuries.
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Monday that Aaron Bushnell of San Antonio, Texas, died at a nearby hospital after self-immolating in front of the embassy on Sunday afternoon.
Bushnell, who was dressed in his military uniform, said in a video during the moments leading up to when he lit himself on fire, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide.”
“I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” he said, walking down a street. “But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”
He then stopped in front of the embassy, poured a liquid on himself from a water bottle he was holding, pulled out a lighter, and lit himself on fire.
An Air Force spokeswoman told the Washington Examiner the service will provide additional details 24 hours after next of kin has been notified.
U.S. Secret Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and MPD are still investigating the incident.
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The Biden administration has largely supported Israel’s right to self-defense in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas in southern Israel. The attack, the most deadly in Israel’s history, left roughly 1,200 people dead, the majority of whom were civilians. In response, Israeli leaders vowed to eliminate Hamas, removing it from power in Gaza and demilitarizing it.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, has said more than 29,000 people have been killed in Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7. The tally does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
