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A member of the US Air Force is in a critical condition after setting himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington.

Officers from the US Secret Service extinguished the flames before the man was taken to hospital on Sunday afternoon with serious injuries.

The US Air Force confirmed an active-duty serviceman was involved but he has not been identified.

The police, the Secret Service and other authorities are investigating.

In a video that was live streamed on Twitch, the man identified himself and said he was a serving member of the Air Force.

Before setting himself on fire, he said he would "no longer be complicit in genocide" and he was heard shouting "Free Palestine" as he burned.

A bomb disposal unit was sent to the site over concerns about a suspicious vehicle that could have been connected to the individual.

This was later declared safe after no hazardous materials were found.

No embassy staff members were injured in the incident, said a spokeswoman for the embassy.

The Israeli foreign ministry said the man was not known to embassy staff.

It is not the first time someone has self-immolated in front of an Israeli diplomatic mission in the US.

In December, a protester set themselves on fire in front of the Israeli consulate in the US state of Georgia.

Police said the demonstrator used petrol, and a Palestinian flag was found at the scene on that occasion.