WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An American serviceman set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The man was transported to an area hospital after the fire was put out by U.S. Secret Service agents, DC Fire and EMS posted online. The man remains in critical condition, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department said Sunday afternoon. An Air Force spokesperson confirmed that the accident involved an active duty airman.
The local police and secret services are investigating the incident.
The Israeli embassy has been the subject of ongoing protests against the war in Gaza. The war in Gaza has led to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States. The protests began after October 7, when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border attack.
Since then, Israeli forces have waged a military campaign against the coastal enclave, devastating much of it, with nearly 30,000 deaths, according to Palestinian health officials.