Man walks into Kiryat Arba NII branch doused in liquid, flees scene after witnesses try stop him; Hebron police investigating incident.
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Police on Sunday detained a 20-year-old man after he threatened to set himself on fire at the National Insurance Institute (NII) Kiryat Arba branch in the West Bank.The man entered the branch with his clothes soaked in liquid and announced all those present that he required assistance, and if it was not granted to him, he would set himself on fire.Witnesses tried to pour fire extinguishing fluid on him in order to prevent him from self-immolating. The man fled the scene and Hebron police searched for and found the man, who is known to the welfare authorities.A preliminary examination found that his clothes were soaked with water. Police said that he said he threatened to self-immolate in order to shock the NII. He was transferred to psychiatric examination and police continued to investigate the incident.Since Moshe Silman set himself on fire on July 14, during a social protest in Tel Aviv, there have been numerous cases of self immolation by activists protesting their economic situation.