A woman set herself on fire in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, police confirmed Friday.
Police responded to the location Friday afternoon after the woman, who draped herself in a Palestinian flag, doused herself with gasoline and lit herself on fire, ABC News reported. A security guard who tried to stop her from igniting herself was also injured in the incident, according to WTVM.com.
Israel resumed military operations against Hamas Friday after efforts to extend a truce cease-fire with the radical Islamic terrorist group by two days after multiple groups of hostages were released since Nov. 24.
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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the incident appeared to be “an extreme act of political protest,” according to CNN.
Hamas took the hostages when it carried out a deadly terrorist attack on multiple locations in southern Israel Oct. 7, killing over 1,400 people.
Schierbaum said authorities were “not aware of any credible threat” to the Israeli consulate in a brief press conference posted on the Atlanta Police Department’s Facebook page.
“The community is safe. This department is aware of the tensions that are present right now in the Jewish community and in the Muslim community,” Schierbaum said. “We continue to ensure that everyone is protected in Atlanta, Georgia regardless of your religion, regardless of your heritage, regardless of your nationality.”
President Joe Biden has come under fire from young voters over his support of Israel since the Oct. 7 attack. Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and other left-wing members of the House of Representatives known as “The Squad” released statements calling for a ceasefire almost immediately after Israel began its response to the attack.
Harold Hutchison on December 1, 2023
