He was atypical in a couple of ways. For one, he was much older than the vast majority of people who perform these sorts of acts.

As for never having done anything like this before? This is kind of a one-and-done event. There is no dress rehearsal for Martyrdom.

The commonality is that these acts are considered to the ultimate penance and path to redemption in the Islamic faith. If you die like this, Allah owes you admission to Heaven.