American Fall?? - Man sets self on fire on National Mall

[Ares]

WASHINGTON (AP) - A man who poured a can of gasoline on his head and set himself on fire on the National Mall in the nation's capital has been airlifted to the hospital, police and fire officials said Friday afternoon.

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The man, whose name was not immediately known, suffered life-threatening injuries, said D.C. fire department spokesman Tim Wilson.

He was standing by himself at Seventh Street and Madison Drive, in the center portion of the Mall, when he emptied the contents of a red gas can on himself and set himself on fire moments later, said Katy Scheflen, who witnessed it as she walked through the Mall.

She said passing joggers took off their shirts in an effort to help douse the flames, and the man was clearly alive as the flames spread. A police department spokesman said he was conscious and breathing at the scene.

"There was not a lot people could do because it was a gasoline fire," she said.

She said he may have said something before he acted "but it was nothing intelligible." She said she did not see him holding any signs.

"I'm not aware of any signage or any articulation of any causes," said Lt. Pamela Smith of the U.S. Park Police, which is investigating along with the D.C. police department.

The D.C. police department has dispatched its violent crimes branch, which responds to cases in which a person suffers serious injury.


http://www.wjla.com/articles/2013/10/person-lights-self-on-fire-on-national-mall-94921.html

[ximmy]

Did he write a manifesto?

self immolation for political purposes has a long and glorious tradition

[Ares]

Did he write a manifesto?

self immolation for political purposes has a long and glorious tradition

Yeah it does, but dear god what a horrible way to go.

[Ares]

Man Who Lit Himself On Fire On National Mall, Has Died

In a tragic development, the unidentified man who set himself on fire on the National Mall at about 4:30 p.m. on Friday in between the Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery, and who sustained burns to 80% of his body, has died. AP reports: "A District of Columbia police spokesman says a man who set himself on fire on the National Mall has died his injuries. Officer Araz Alali says the man died Friday night at a hospital where he had been airlifted. He says the man was so badly burned that he will need to be through DNA and dental records. The man poured a can of gasoline on himself in the center portion of the mall Friday afternoon. He then set himself on fire, with passing joggers taking off their shirts to help douse the flames."

Oddly enough, the deceased self-immolator was conscious and coherent enough in the aftermath of the incident to thank passers by for putting out the flames before being taken to hospital:

The man reportedly thanked the joggers before he was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center by a U.S. Park Police helicopter that landed on the Mall.



Fire department spokesman Tim Wilson said the man suffered life-threatening injuries, but was conscious and breathing at the scene.



Authorities are now investigating the man's motives.

As AP adds, Police are investigating the man's possible motives for doing so. They will hardly find any, as the last thing the Obama administration needs right now is to start explaining why D.C. has become ground zero for America's own Arab Spring. Especially, if in a country in which fomenting class and social hatred once again boils down to racial characteristics.

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/09/burn-1004_0.jpg
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/09/manonfire-01.jpg
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http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/09/manonfire-03.jpg

Some more recollections by observers:

"I saw like a spark," she said. "Then he just went completely up in flames."



"Some heads up joggers put out the flames," she said. "A guy took his shirt off, ran over, you know, start trying to beat the flames out. A couple other joggers also stopped to help."



"It's very shocking," she said. "It's horrifying. Literally watching this guy go up in flames. There was not really anything anybody could do."

A question has emerged: was it an act meant to be documented, and if so why:

Katy Scheflen, a furloughed civil rights attorney in the Justice Department, said she stopped because she saw "a guy with a tripod set up."



Scheflen said another man, who she thought the tripod with a camera was filming, then took a red can of gasoline, poured it over his head.



"At that point we didn't know what was going, maybe it was some sort of stage protest," Scheflen said. "And then he set himself on fire and went up in flames," she said. "Whoosh."



Scheflen said the presence of a mounted camera gave her the impression "he was aware something was about to happen. Otherwise he was filming nothing but a guy standing there."



"It was obviously an intentional act," she said. "Somebody has a video of the whole thing."



Scheflen said the man may have said something beforehand “but it was nothing intelligible.”

And speaking of the seasons, in Tunisia it was Mohamed Bouazizi's self-immolation on December 17, 2010 (and subsequent death 18 days later) that sparked the Arab Spring reaching as far as Saudi Arabia and China. One wonders: will the death of the so far unidentified man lead to anything more than even more vocal and relentless fingerpointing at assorted highly politicized media echo chambers.

Video--> http://bcove.me/l474y9l6

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-05/man-who-lit-himself-fire-national-mall-has-died

[Twisted Titan]

The D.C. police department has dispatched its violent crimes branch, which responds to cases in which a person suffers serious injury.



Unless you a old white man getting attack by a bunch of "yutes"

[gunDriller]

why the pixellation in the image ? is the guy naked ?


we can handle scorched burned flesh. after all we've been looking at Obama for a few years - after that, nothing is too gross.

[MNeagle]

RIP, what a way to go especially w/o making his point (if he had a beef). Also, what a 'tard: that chick in pics 3,5. Letting your child see this!! Put down the phone & cover the kid's eyes at least.... sheesh. RIP man...