About this episode
A U.S. service member has died after setting himself on fire Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., authorities confirmed Monday. A video posted online showed the man shouting "Free Palestine" as he burned during the incident, which lasted about a minute before law enforcement officers extinguished the flames at about 1pm. The man appeared to be in military uniform and identified himself as "an active duty member of the U.S. Air Force." Air Force spokesperson Ann Stefanek confirmed via email Sunday evening that "an active duty Airman was involved in today's incident." The Israeli Embassy said in a statement that none of its staff was injured and all were safe. The latest: The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said in a statement Monday that after first responders arrived on the scene the man was "transported by DC Fire and EMS to a local hospital where he later died." Police identified the man as Aaron Bushnell, 25, of San Antonio, Texas. An investigation of the incident is ongoing, MPD said. In the video of the incident, Bushnell said he would "no longer be complicit in genocide," which the Israeli military was accused of committing in Gaza in an International Court of Justice case brought by South Africa. "I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest." The MPD said in a post to X that its Explosive Ordnance Disposal was called to the 3500 block on International Drive in northwest D.C. "in reference to a suspicious vehicle that may be connected to the individual," but it later reported that no hazardous materials had been found. You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/ZeroBlog30