An active US Air Force reportedly set himself on fire on Sunday outside the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, officials said, as media reports cite this was in protest against the Gaza war.
The US capital's fire service posted a notice on X stating that they received a "call for person on fire outside the Israeli Embassy" and that emergency personnel had gone to the site just before 1pm (1800 GMT).
When they got there, they discovered that the fire had already been put out by agents of the US Secret Service, a law enforcement organization assigned with guarding visiting heads of state and other influential Americans.
The fire department said that the man was transported to the hospital with "critical life threatening injuries".
He is reported to be an active member of the Air Force, a spokeswoman told AFP, without providing any more information.
According to an Israeli embassy spokesman, the individual was "unknown" to them and there were no staff injuries in the event.
According to the American media, the man reportedly livestreamed himself on Twitch while donning fatigues and pledging to "not be complicit in genocide" before soaking himself with liquids.
Then he started screaming "Free Palestine!" and set himself on fire till he collapsed on the ground.
The horrifying incident occurred at a time when anti-Israel sentiment is growing in the US due to Israel's military operations in Gaza, where it is conducting a war in retaliation for a Hamas attack on October 7.
The world has been putting more and more pressure on the United States to bring down down on its partner Israel and demand a ceasefire as the number of deaths in Gaza approaches 30,000.
