A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire while wearing military fatigues midday Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in D.C., authorities said.
No one else was injured in the incident, which took place just before 1 p.m. in the 3500 block of International Drive NW. A video shared online that multiple officials said appeared to be posted by the man shows him referring to his service in the U.S. armed forces and shouting “Free Palestine” as he burned.
A spokeswoman for the Air Force, Rose M. Riley, confirmed in an email that “an active duty airman was involved in today’s incident,” adding that she could not provide further details of the man’s service as of Sunday evening.
The incident may force the Air Force into balancing caring for an individual with severe injuries with addressing political actions that go against military guidelines. Defense Department policy states that service members should “not engage in partisan political activity” and must “avoid inferences” that political activities imply or appear to have endorsement from military leaders. Doing so while in uniform is considered especially problematic.
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Since the Israel-Gaza war began in October, at least 29,629 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 240 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
Hamas and allied fighters took more than 250 people hostage during the attack. More than 100 were freed in exchange for more than 200 Palestinian detainees during a November pause in fighting. Israeli authorities believe that more than 100 hostages remain in Gaza.
On Sunday, uniformed Secret Service officers responded to a report of a person experiencing a possible medical or mental health emergency, said Joe Routh, a U.S. Secret Service spokesman.
End of carouselResponding officers put out the fire before D.C. firefighters arrived, about 1 p.m., fire department spokesman Vito Maggiolo said. The D.C. Fire and Emergency Services Department then took the man to a hospital in life-threatening condition. He remained hospitalized Sunday afternoon.
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In the video, which is just over three minutes long, one person can be heard saying, “Hi, sir, can I help you?” as the man approaches the gate to the embassy.
About 12 seconds later — as a person again asks, “Can I help you, sir?” — the man sets himself on fire. Law enforcement soon extinguished the blaze.
Authorities on Sunday afternoon said they were still investigating. It was not immediately clear whether the Air Force would investigate the man’s actions, although the service typically scrutinizes suicide attempts.
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