He repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine” after setting himself on fire.
On Sunday, February 25, a 25-year-old man, Aaron Bushnell, set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. U.S. Secret Service officers acted quickly to extinguish the flames before rushing over, preventing further damage.The man was taken to hospital, according to British Broadcasting Corporation. He is now reported dead.
Before setting himself on fire, Bushnell announced in a live video on Twitch that he would “no longer participate in genocide.” Wearing a military uniform, he claimed to be an active duty member of the Air Force and declared his intention to take extreme protest action. He set himself on fire and repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine” after falling to the ground.
A bomb squad was also sent to the scene to inspect a suspicious vehicle, but the vehicle was later declared safe as no hazardous materials were found. An embassy spokesman said that fortunately, no embassy staff was injured in the incident.
Who is Aaron Bushnell?
- Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Mr. Bushnell grew up in Massachusetts and attended public schools on the Cape Cod Peninsula. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68405119
- Aaron Bushnell studied computer software engineering at Southern New Hampshire University and took computer science courses at the University of Maryland Global Campus. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-bushnell-875897280/
- Aaron Bushnell served as a cyber defense operations specialist with the Air Force’s 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing. He serves with the 531st Intelligence Support Squadron since May 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-air-force-member-set-fire-israeli-embassy-dc-died-rcna140455
- According to Bushnell, he is also an “aspiring software engineer” LinkedIn contour. From March 2023 until this month, he worked at a company called DevOps in San Antonio.
- Bushnell mentioned on his LinkedIn profile that he graduated “with honors” from Air Force basic training in November 2020. He “has a talent and passion for solving complex problems with code.”
Israel is currently conducting military operations against Hamas in Gaza due to a series of attacks by the Palestinian Islamist group. According to Israeli authorities, on October 7, Hamas allegedly launched a cross-border attack in Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. In response, the Israeli army launched a military operation in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of nearly 30,000 people, the Hamas Health Ministry reported.
