A close friend of the American pilot who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington disclosed that Aaron Bushnell claimed to have secret information about U.S. forces fighting in Hamas tunnels in Gaza, just hours before he self-immolated in protest of the Gaza war. According to the Washington Post on Tuesday, Bushnell, 25, mentioned in a call to his friend on the night of Saturday, February 24, that he had obtained a "top-secret" clearance for military intelligence data in the U.S.
His friend, whose connections with Bushnell were verified by the newspaper, stated: "He told me on Saturday that we have troops in those tunnels, and that American soldiers are involved in the killings." He added, "His actual job involves handling intelligence data. Some of what he dealt with was related to the Israeli conflict in Gaza."
The friend continued: "One of the things he told me is that what came across his desk is that the U.S. military is involved in the ongoing genocide in Palestine," referring to the war in Gaza. He said, "He told me that we have forces on the ground, and they are killing large numbers of Palestinians."
Additionally, the friend of the pilot, who set himself on fire, mentioned that he "does not support Hamas in any way," and expressed surprise that Bushnell had not previously violated his military clearance. Regarding their conversation, he added: "He had received a security clearance four years ago, and to my knowledge this is the only time he breached protocol and disclosed information he shouldn't have revealed."
He also spoke of Bushnell, who grew up in a controversial religious community in a small coastal town in Massachusetts: "He was scared," but ended up setting himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington around 1 PM on Sunday while shouting, "Free Palestine." He said that when they discussed what Bushnell claimed to have uncovered about the war, "I encouraged him to follow his conscience, as that had always led him in the right direction before," although Bushnell did not hint at what he would do the next day.
His friend mentioned: "Aaron was very analytical, and he made big decisions after careful consideration." He added, "On the surface, Aaron seems to be the calmest and most composed person you could ever meet."
