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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/us-airman-who-set-himself-on-fire-outside-israeli-embassy-dies">aljazeera.com</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">US airman who set himself on fire outside Israeli embassy dies</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Al Jazeera</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">February 26, 2024<br></div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div><p><span>DEVELOPING STORY, </span></p><p><em>Aaron Bushnell yelled ‘Free Palestine!’ as he lit himself on fire and fell to the ground.</em></p></div><div><p>A
member of the United States air force who had set himself on fire
outside the Israeli embassy in Washington in an apparent protest against
Israel’s war in Gaza has died, the Pentagon says.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old airman, Aaron Bushnell of San Antonio, Texas, died
from his injuries, the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC,
said on Monday.</p>
<p>US media reports <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/us-airman-sets-self-on-fire-in-protest-over-israels-genocide-in-gaza">said</a>
Bushnell livestreamed himself on the social media platform Twitch
wearing fatigues and declaring he would “not be complicit in genocide”
before dousing himself in liquid on Sunday.</p>
<p>He then lit himself on fire while yelling “Free Palestine!” until he
fell to the ground. The footage has since been removed from Twitch.</p>
<p>In a statement, the air force said on Monday: “The individual
involved in yesterday’s incident succumbed to his injuries and passed
away last night.”</p>
<p>The air force said it would provide additional information a day after military officials complete notifying his next of kin.</p>
<p>The incident comes as protests against Israel’s war on Gaza continue across the US.</p>
<p>In December, a protester set herself on fire outside the Israeli
consulate in Atlanta. A Palestinian flag was found at the scene, and the
act was believed to be one of “extreme political protest”.</p>
<p>Israel launched an assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters attacked
Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people and seizing about 250
as hostages.</p>
<p>Since those attacks, Israel has bombarded the Palestinian territory
from air, land and sea and launched a ground invasion. More than 29,000
people have been killed in the Israeli assault, according to Palestinian
authorities.</p><div aria-label="Newsletter signup Widget" id="gmail-article-newsletter-slot"><p></p><p></p><div><p><span aria-hidden="false"><span>US politics, Canada’s multiculturalism, South America’s geopolitical rise—we bring you the stories that matter.</span></span></p></div></div>
<p>Israel’s campaign in Gaza has left much of the territory in ruins and displaced more than 80 percent of its population.</p><p>______________________________</p><p>
</p><div class="gmail-single__header"><h1 class="gmail-headline gmail-headline--single-fallback">
US Air Force member dies after setting himself on fire at Israeli Embassy in DC yelling, ‘Free Palestine’ </h1>
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<span>Published </span>
<span>Feb. 26, 2024</span>
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<p>US Air Force member Aaron Bushnell has died from his injuries after<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/25/us-news/israeli-embassy-self-immolation-man-critically-injured/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> setting himself on fire</a> outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, an official confirmed Monday.</p>
<p>A US Air Force spokesperson confirmed to The Post that 25-year-old
Bushnell died overnight, though she did not officially name him, citing
the ongoing notification of next of kin. </p>
<p>Officials were still contacting family members Monday and will not
officially announce his death until 24 hours after that is complete, the
Air Force representative said. </p>
<div class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper"><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/us-air-force-member-dies-after-setting-himself-on-fire/#" aria-controls="nyp-slideshow-modal" title="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images." aria-label="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images."><img style="aspect-ratio: 1.01525 / 1; display: block; margin-right: 25px;" width="415" height="409" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/embassay-protest-040.jpg?w=831" alt="A man wearing a US Air Force uniform reportedly set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy" class="gmail-wp-image-30933685"><span class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__icon" aria-hidden="true">
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<span>5</span>
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</span></a></div>A photo posted on X (formerly Twitter)
shows an unidentified man who reportedly set himself on fire in front of
the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024. <span class="gmail-credit">X/Talia Jane</span>
<p>There was no immediate word on Bushnell’s cause of death. </p>
<p>A harrowing video livestreamed on Twitch on Sunday afternoon appeared
to show the serviceman dressed in uniform standing in front of the
embassy and identifying himself as a member of the US Air Force.</p>
<p>“I will no longer be complicit in genocide [in Gaza]. I am about to
engage in an extreme act of protest,” Bushnell reportedly said, before
setting himself ablaze and repeatedly crying out, “Free Palestine.”</p>
<p>Just hours before his deadly act of self-immolation, Bushnell posted a final message on Facebook.</p>
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<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/haunting-final-post-of-us-airman-who-set-himself-on-fire/">
<img style="aspect-ratio: 1.50169 / 1; display: block; margin-right: 0px;" width="415" height="276" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/usaf-self-immolation-israel-embassy-palestine-dc-comp.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024" class="gmail-attachment-post-thumbnail gmail-size-post-thumbnail" alt="Aaron Bushnell"> </a>
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<h3 class="gmail-story__headline gmail-headline gmail-headline--xxs">
<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/haunting-final-post-of-us-airman-who-set-himself-on-fire/" class="gmail-t-color-black">
Haunting final post of US airman who set himself on fire in
front of Israeli Embassy in DC: ‘You’re doing it. Right now’ </a>
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<a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/25/world-news/israeli-revengers-threaten-knesset-kin-over-alleged-oct-7-failings/">
<img style="aspect-ratio: 1.50169 / 1; display: block; margin-right: 0px;" width="415" height="276" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/newspress-collage-jan6honww-1708898355708.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1708882319&w=1024" class="gmail-attachment-post-thumbnail gmail-size-post-thumbnail" alt="Members of Israel's government and their families have received threatening letters from the 'Israeli Revengers' group vowing to harm them over the Jewish State's alleged failings in preventing the Oct. 7 massacre."> </a>
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<p>“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,” he wrote.</p>
<p>The message included a link to the Twitch livestream, which was later removed for violating the platform’s community guidelines.</p>
<div class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper"><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/us-air-force-member-dies-after-setting-himself-on-fire/#" aria-controls="nyp-slideshow-modal" title="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images." aria-label="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images."><img style="aspect-ratio: 1.13729 / 1; display: block; margin-right: 25px;" width="415" height="365" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GHOu4X5W8AA9i0x.jpg?w=1024" alt="Aaron Bushnell" class="gmail-wp-image-30936133"><span class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__icon" aria-hidden="true">
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<span>5</span>
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</span></a></div>It was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Air Force that Aaron Bushnell is an active-duty airman. <span class="gmail-credit">X/@taliaotg</span>
<p>In the now-deleted video, Bushnell was sprayed with a fire
extinguisher before firefighters arrived to take him to the hospital
with life-threatening injuries around 1 p.m. He was initially listed in
critical condition.</p>
<p>No embassy staff were injured during the fire, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, <a href="https://twitter.com/GLZRadio/status/1761828881890169262" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according to GLZ Radio</a>.</p>
<p>Bushnell was not known to the embassy before the incident, the statement added.</p>
<div class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper"><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/us-air-force-member-dies-after-setting-himself-on-fire/#" aria-controls="nyp-slideshow-modal" title="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images." aria-label="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images."><img style="aspect-ratio: 1.50169 / 1; display: block; margin-right: 25px;" width="415" height="276" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GettyImages-2031353603-1.jpg?w=1024" alt="Police take security measures and investigate the crime scene after a US Air Force member set himself alight in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Feb. 25, 2024." class="gmail-wp-image-30936046"><span class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__icon" aria-hidden="true">
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<span>5</span>
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</span></a></div>Police take security measures and
investigate the crime scene after a US Air Force member set himself
alight in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, on Feb. 25,
2024. <span class="gmail-credit">Anadolu via Getty Images</span>
<div class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper"><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/us-air-force-member-dies-after-setting-himself-on-fire/#" aria-controls="nyp-slideshow-modal" title="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images." aria-label="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images."><img style="aspect-ratio: 1.50169 / 1; display: block; margin-right: 25px;" width="415" height="276" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/GettyImages-2031353579.jpg?w=1024" alt="DC Fire and EMS services at the scene shortly before 1 p.m." class="gmail-wp-image-30936041"><span class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__icon" aria-hidden="true">
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</span></a></div>The DC Fire and EMS services were dispatched to the scene shortly before 1 p.m. <span class="gmail-credit">Anadolu via Getty Images</span>
<div class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper"><a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/us-news/us-air-force-member-dies-after-setting-himself-on-fire/#" aria-controls="nyp-slideshow-modal" title="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images." aria-label="Open a slideshow of all 5 article images."><img style="aspect-ratio: 1.8156 / 1; display: block; margin-right: 25px;" width="415" height="229" src="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/man-critical-condition-set-fire-77179198.jpg?w=1024" alt="Israel flags and EMS seen outside the Israeli Embassy" class="gmail-wp-image-30931232"><span class="gmail-nyp-slideshow-modal-image__icon" aria-hidden="true">
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</span></a></div>The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. <span class="gmail-credit">@GLZRadio/Twitter</span>
<p>The airman had served with the US Air Force for nearly four years and
was based in San Antonio, Texas, according to his LinkedIn profile.</p>
<p>For the past year, Bushnell worked as a software engineer while
pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Southern New
Hampshire University.</p></div>
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