An American soldier who attempted to set himself on fire Sunday in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, to protest the war in Gaza, died of his wounds, the United States armed forces announced Monday.
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“The person involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to their injuries and died last night,” Rose M. Riley, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a short message sent to AFP.
“We will provide additional information 24 hours after relatives have been informed,” she added.
AFP
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly before 1:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) on Sunday in response to a “call concerning a person burning in front of the Israeli embassy,” the capital’s fire department said on X .
When they arrived, they found that the Secret Service, the protection service for high-ranking officials of the American state, had already put out the fire.
The man was taken to hospital with “serious, life-threatening injuries,” according to the same source.
An air force spokesperson confirmed to AFP that he was an active member, without giving further details.
For its part, the Israeli embassy said that no staff members were injured during the incident and that the American service member was “unknown”.
AFP
A video, first broadcast live on the Twitch platform according to media reports and which then circulated on social networks, shows a man in military uniform spraying himself with a liquid before chanting “Free Palestine!” (Liberate Palestine!) as he quickly catches fire in front of the embassy gate, until he falls to the ground.
“I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am going to engage in an extreme act of protest,” declares this man in this video, which AFP was not immediately able to verify.
This act comes at a time when demonstrations are increasing in the United States against Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza, carried out for more than four months, and the unprecedented attack perpetrated on October 7 in Israel by commandos of the Palestinian Islamist movement. Hamas.
The United States is Israel’s primary diplomatic and military supporter.
