An active-duty Air Force member, identified as 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell from San Antonio, died after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Feb 25, 2024.
Bushnell reportedly livestreamed the act on Twitch, declaring his opposition to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and stating he wouldn’t be “complicit in genocide.”
The video shows Bushnell walking up to the driveway of the Israeli embassy, setting his phone down on the ground before pouring an unknown liquid from a bottle over himself and igniting it while yelling, “Free Palestine” repeatedly.
“My name is Aaron Bushnell, I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force and I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” he said in the video. “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, 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 was shouting “Free Palestine!” before bystanders attempted to extinguish the flames with fire extinguishers.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is investigating the incident in collaboration with the Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
While the investigation continues, authorities confirmed no hazardous materials were found in a suspicious vehicle linked to Bushnell.
“The individual involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night. We will provide additional details 24 hours after next of kin notifications are complete,” said Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek.
In typical fashion, law enforcement officers started ordering Bushnell to get on the ground as one pointed a gun at him while he collapsed, screaming in pain.
That officer’s gun remained drawn as Bushnell was sprayed with a fire extinguisher by another officer who was heard yelling as other officers arrived on the scene, “I don’t need guns, I need fire extinguishers!”
The fire had been extinguished by the U.S. Secret Service when firefighters arrived at the scene, according to D.C. Fire and EMS.
Bushnell’s self-immolation comes amid heightened tensions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
An aspiring software engineer who had been in the Air Force for three years and 10 months, according to his LinkedIn profile, Bushnell also reportedly said in his final social media post: “Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’ The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.”
The Biden administration has expressed frustration with Israel but the US response to the situation has not been applauded, with a senior official resigning in January citing the administration’s alleged “blind eye” towards the violence.
Israeli reactions to the incident have also drawn criticism.
https://twitter.com/gregjstoker/status/1761984076980875775
Negotiations are underway for a ceasefire and hostage exchange, with international pressure mounting for restraint due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
While a temporary pause in fighting could offer some reprieve, the situation remains precarious.
The Air Force confirmed Bushnell’s passing and expressed condolences to his family. The Israeli embassy spokesperson assured the safety of its staff.
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