A man in the American capital Washington set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy fence on Sunday afternoon (local time). The police and fire brigades in Washington have reported this to several American media. The man was taken to hospital in critical condition with life-threatening injuries. It has not yet been revealed who the man is and what his motivation was.
The flames on the man were extinguished by bystanders before emergency services arrived on the scene, reports said USAToday. According to the fire brigade members of the US Secret Service helped put out the fire.
The police explosives squad has also been called in because of a “suspicious” vehicle that may be linked to the man. The buildings surrounding the Israeli embassy in Washington include other embassies.
A similar action took place in December last year. A protester set himself on fire in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta. It was a pro-Palestine demonstrator, the police reported AP news agency that the person had brought a Palestinian flag. The demonstrator was in critical condition after the action and a guard who tried to intervene was also injured.