Man in serious condition after setting self on fire in Beersheba courtroom

Circumstances behind incident unclear; blaze extinguished by defense counsel and bystander

By ToI Staff 10 November 2019, 1:15 pm

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Medics evacuate a man who lit himself on fire in a Beersheba court on November 10, 2019 (screen capture via Twitter)

A man was seriously injured on Sunday after setting himself on fire in a courtroom in the southern city of Beersheba.

The man, who was said to be in his fifties, was taken to the Soroka Medical Center.

A spokesperson for Soroka said the victim had suffered severe burns on his upper body and was on a respirator in an induced coma. It listed his condition as serious.

The man was not identified and it was not immediately clear what he was in court for.

The first floor of the courthouse was evacuated. No others were injured in the blaze.

“He said some words, poured gasoline on himself and lit it,” an eyewitness told Hebrew media.

“I saw someone go up in flames,” another witness told the Ynet news site. “The defense counsel and another civilian were there. The counsel put it out with a fire extinguisher, while the bystander took a coat, placed it on him and put out the fire.”

The judge was not in the courtroom at the time, the eyewitness, who was not identified, said.

“I’m still shaking from what happened,” she said.