A man set himself on fire outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s trial is underway – The Post

The fire was put out and he was taken away on a stretcher: it is not clear whether his action has any connection with the case against the former president of the United States

On Friday in New York a man set himself on fire in front of the Manhattan courthouse where the criminal trial against former US president Donald Trump over the alleged payment of 130 thousand dollars to the porn film actress Stormy Daniels is underway.

The New York police said in a press conference that the man arrived at the park in front of the courthouse with a bag, from which he took out some flyers and a canister with flammable liquid inside: then he threw the flyers in the air , poured the liquid on himself and set himself on fire. It is not clear whether the gesture is linked to the trial against Trump or not: the police said that the flyers thrown into the air contained various conspiracy phrases.

After the man caught fire, some passers-by approached to try to put him out, throwing coats and using fire extinguishers: the fire was then put out and the person was taken away by rescuers. “I saw a completely charred human being,” said the correspondent CNN Laura Coates. The NYPD said he was in critical condition and that four officers were slightly injured.

The police said that the man’s name is Maxwell Azzarello, he is 37 years old and comes from Florida: investigations have been launched, but according to initial reconstructions he arrived in New York this week. According to a Manhattan resident who witnessed the scene, quoted by BBC, the man had appeared in court every day since the start of the trial, which began on Monday.

Warning: the images may be shocking

At the time of the events Trump was inside the courthouse. The ongoing trial there was the first of four criminal trials in which he is involved, and the first ever against a former president of the United States. On Friday, after three days of selection (and a break on Wednesday), the Manhattan court chose the 12 members of the popular jury that will judge Trump. The selection was widely covered by US newspapers and had various particular moments due to Trump’s popularity and his presence in the courtroom.

New York Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said that after this event the security protocols related to the trial will be “reviewed”.

– Read also: For Trump, it was not fun to watch the selection of jurors in the trial against him

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