A person was seriously injured on Friday when he tried to set himself on fire in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, southeastern United States, after a Palestinian flag was found there, according to local authorities.
It was likely an “extreme act of political protest,” Atlanta Police Chief Darren Scherbaum said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
He added: “There was a Palestinian flag at the scene of the accident.”
At midday, “a security guard noticed that someone was trying to set themselves on fire” outside the building, Atlanta Fire Chief Roderick Smith said.
While trying to stop him, the security guard suffered burns.
He added that “the two people suffered burns” and were taken to the hospital. Mr. Smith added that the person who tried to burn himself was “in critical condition,” without specifying the age or gender of those injured.
In the United States, the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip caused severe tensions and led to major demonstrations.
