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30th May 2019

Man dies after setting himself on fire outside White House

Kyle Picknell

A man who set himself on fire outside the White House in Washington DC on Wednesday has died from his injuries.

The man who set himself on fire outside the White House has died, according to police reports.

He has since been named as Arnav Gupta and was taken to the hospital on Wednesday where he died from his injuries.

Secret Service officials “responded in seconds” to the incident after Gupta lit himself on fire on the popular tourist area the Ellipse, which is opposite the historic government building, at around 12:25 pm.

He died later that night, according to the US Park Police and reportedly suffered burns to 85 per cent of his body.

A number of videos have been posted to social media and show a man calmly walking along the grass of the Ellipse, in between the White House and the Washington Monument, completely engulfed by flames.

Police officers were then filming arriving on the scene to put out the fire with extinguishers.

The investigation has now been handed over to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).