Man sets self on fire in front of White House

AP wire:
WASHINGTON Nov 16, 2004 � A man who set himself afire near the White House was upset with the way he was being treated as an FBI informant, specifically complaining to The Washington Post about his inability to return to Yemen to visit his ill wife.

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.

The paper said it alerted the New York agent about its contact with Alanssi and subsequently informed District of Columbia police when it learned from the man in a series of three telephone calls that he planned to set himself on fire outside the White House. The paper said D.C. police subsequently alerted federal authorities with jurisdiction around the White House.

In 2003, Alanssi was the subject of a Washington Post story describing his role as an informant for the FBI, providing information on terrorist financiers in Yemen.

Alanssi, of Falls Church, Va., told the Post in recent interviews that he was upset because he could not travel to Yemen to visit his ailing wife, who has stomach cancer. He also said the FBI had not kept promises it made to him to secure his assistance.