A man identifying himself as journalist and visual storyteller, attempted to set himself on fire during a pro – Palestinian protest outside the white house on Saturday.
Footage shared on X showed a chaotic scene in Lafayette Park, where the man, believed to be Samuel Mena Jr., ignited his arm amidst a large crowd of denonstrators.
Bystanders and police officers quickly intervened to extinguish the flames as Nena screamed in agony.
In one video, Mena could be heard shouting, “I am a journalist, and I said it was ok.”
After the flames were put out, his arm appeared to be severely burnt.
On his X account, Mena hinted at his involvement in the protest earlier that day, stating, ‘I will be streaming live from the white house exterior on Instagram live in 30 minutes.
The first 30 minutes will be spent doing tech troubleshooting, and I will give a speech in an hour.’ He also tweeted a message reading, “End Settler Colonialism,” accompanied by a photo of himself smiling in front of the Palestinian flag.
Mena’s profile indicates that he graduated from The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and is currently working as a photojournalist for AZFamily Channels 3 and 5 as a productiin assistant.
It is unclear why he carried out this act on himself.
