Man arrested for attempting to light himself on fire in central Tel Aviv

A man was arrested after trying to light himself on fire at Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square Tuesday afternoon. Police took him in for questioning after he was caught pouring flammable material all over his body, apparently prior to igniting himself.

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The incident follows a string of self-immolation attempts around the country.

The first to do so was Moshe Silman, a social activist from Haifa, who doused his body with flammable liquid and set himself on fire during a social justice rally in Tel Aviv on July 14.

He distributed a letter at the protest, setting out his reasons for taking the extreme action. He blamed various government agencies for failing to provide him with financial aid and housing. Suffering burns over 94% of his body, Silman died a week after lighting himself on fire.

Following in his footsteps were another six or seven self-immolation attempts within a week. One copycat succeeding in lighting himself on fire — wheelchair-bound IDF veteran Akiva Mafa’i. He died of his wounds in early August.

Other individuals have threatened to light themselves on fire — often going to local government insurance branches, welfare offices, and city halls to complain of undue economic hardship. Police were able to prevent many of these self-immolation attempts.