Syrian Kurd Sets Himself on Fire Outside UN Refugee Agency in Geneva

A Syrian Kurdish man in his 30s set himself on fire outside the United Nations refugee agency headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday and was quickly airlifted to hospital after the flames were extinguished, police said.

The man, who resides in Germany, was flown by helicopter to the specialised burns unit at the university hospital in Lausanne where he is receiving treatment, Geneva police spokesman Silvain Guillaume-Gentil said.

“Given his state, it was impossible to ask him about his motive, but we imagine that it was the political situation.”