Man sets himself on fire in front of White House

WASHINGTON — A man who set himself afire Monday just outside a White House gate worked for the FBI as an informant, the Washington Post reported, and was distraught over his inability to return to Yemen to visit his critically ill wife.

Mohamed Alanssi, 52, arrived at the White House gate just before 2 p.m. Monday with a letter addressed to President Bush. After talking briefly with uniformed Secret Service officers, he pulled a lighter from his pocket and set his clothing ablaze. Although the officers acted quickly to extinguish the flames, emergency medical technicians said he suffered burns on his hands, neck and face.

Alanssi was taken to Washington Hospital Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The Post reported that Alanssi, who also used the name Mohamed Alhadrami, had informed the newspaper of his plans early Monday. He told the Post by fax and telephone that he was “going to burn my body at unexpected place.” He also faxed a letter to an FBI agent in New York who has had contact with him, the Post reported.