Who is Aaron Bushnell, US Air Force member set himself on fire outside Israeli Embassy in Washington

An active-duty member of the US Air Force set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, on Sunday, according to the Air Force and local authorities. According to sources close to the family, as told to reporter Tania Jane, he (Bushnell) later died of his injuries.

The man, identified as Aaron Bushnell, was recorded saying, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide” before igniting himself. The incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. on the 3500 block of International Drive, NW. The Metropolitan Police Department responded to assist the United States Secret Service after the individual set himself on fire.



Bushnell's LinkedIn account indicates that he has been in the Air Force since 2020, working as a client systems technician in IT management and as a DevOps engineer. He was pursuing a Bachelors of Science in software engineering at Southern New Hampshire University. He was also looking for SkillBridge programs to transfer his skills into the software engineering career field. Bushnell, who was wearing fatigues at the time of the incident, was based in San Antonio, Texas.

Before his planned self-immolation, Bushnell reportedly sent a message to media outlets stating, “Today, I am planning to engage in an extreme act of protest against the genocide of the Palestinian people.” He also reportedly live-streamed the act on Twitch, which has since removed the video for guideline violations.

“I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” Bushnell repeated, as he walked toward the embassy. “But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.”

After dousing himself with liquid and reaching for his lighter, unidentified law enforcement or security officers could be heard asking off-screen, “Can I help you?” After setting himself aflame, he repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine.”

The man was quickly extinguished by the Secret Service officers and was then transported by DC Fire and EMS to a local hospital in critical condition, and was later reported dead. The Israeli Embassy confirmed that no embassy staff were injured in the incident.

Authorities are investigating the incident, which comes amid ongoing protests against the war in Gaza. The war has sparked pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations in the United States.

This incident is reminiscent of a similar event in December when a person set themselves on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta as an act of political protest.

Israel is currently engaged in a military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, following a series of attacks by the Palestinian Islamist group. According to Israeli authorities, Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border attack on October 7. In response, Israeli forces have launched a military campaign in Gaza, resulting in nearly 30,000 deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.