Man who set himself on fire on the National Mall in Washington was mentally ill

A man who set himself on fire on the National Mall in Washington killed himself because he was mentally ill and was not making a political statement, his family has said.

John Constantino, 64, of New Jersey, poured a canister of petrol on himself in the centre of the mall on Friday afternoon and then set himself alight.

Mr Constantino was conscious and breathing at the scene, but he died later in hospital.

“John Constantino was a loving father and husband. His death was not a political act or statement, but the result of his long battle with mental illness,” his family said.

AP