US soldier sets himself on fire outside Israeli embassy in Washington

"The Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 3500 block of International Drive, NW, at approximately 1 p.m. to assist the U.S. Secret Service after an individual set himself on fire in front of an embassy on the block," CNN quoted a statement from the Washington Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as saying.

US Secret Service vehicles block the road leading to the Israeli embassy in Washington DC after a soldier set himself on fire on February 25.

MPD said the man was transported by emergency crews to a local hospital and remains in critical condition.

The man's identity has not yet been determined and "no embassy staff were injured," an Israeli embassy spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoted confirmation from the US Air Force that the person who self-immolated was an active-duty soldier of this force.

According to Washington DC Fire Department communications officer Vito Maggiolo, by the time firefighters arrived on the scene, the fire had already been extinguished by the US Secret Service.

Image believed to show US soldier self-immolating on February 25

TASK & PURPOSE SCREENSHOT

MPD is working with the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to further investigate. The motive for the incident is unknown at this time.

In December 2023, a man set himself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, in what police said was a “possibly radical act of political protest.” Police and fire officials told reporters at a news conference that a Palestinian protest flag was recovered at the scene and that gasoline was used as a flammable material.

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The incidents come as Israel launches a military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which left about 1,100 people injured and hundreds taken hostage. Health officials in the Gaza Strip say nearly 30,000 people have died in the enclave since the start of the war.

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