United States: an American soldier attempts to set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: Mandel NGAN / AFP 12:09 p.m., February 26, 2024

He shouted “Free Palestine”.

A US soldier was seriously injured while attempting to set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Sunday, officials said, with local media reporting that he was protesting the war in Gaza.

Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly before 1:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) in response to a "call regarding 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.

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An “active” member of the Air Force

The man was taken to hospital with “serious, life-threatening injuries”, we learned from 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 in the incident and that the American service member was "unknown."

Images apparently broadcast live by the latter on the streaming platform Twitch, show him, in military uniform, declaring that he "will not be complicit in a genocide" and dousing himself with liquid, American media reported.

He then attempts to set himself on fire while shouting “Free Palestine!”

(Liberate Palestine!), until he fell to the ground.

AFP was not immediately able to verify the footage, with the New York Times reporting that it has been removed from Twitch.

This act came at a time when protests are increasing in the United States against Israel's offensive in Gaza, where the Israeli army is waging a war following the unprecedented attack perpetrated on October 7 by Hamas commandos. infiltrated into its territory.