A person attempted to set himself on fire this Friday in New York.The man was in front of the court where Donald Trump is on trial in connection with the Stormy Daniels affair.Emergency services intervened to try to stop his actions.
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Donald Trump, first former American president to be criminally prosecuted
While media attention is focused on what is happening inside Manhattan Court, the court where former United States President Donald Trump is being tried in the Stormy Daniels case, a man attempted to set himself on fire outside the building after throwing writings into the air containing “conspiracy theories” according to police.
“A man set himself on fire outside the court. We are collecting information on site”said a New York police spokesperson.
A gesture whose reason is still unknown
In the images broadcast by the American media, we see a man, with both hands behind his head, heading into the square in front of the courthouse. He then splashes himself with liquid, suddenly catches fire for several seconds before falling to the ground. Police officers then quickly intervened with a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.
According to a witness to the scene, who gave his name as Dave, 73, the man threw writings in the air before setting himself on fire. According to one of the police officials, Joseph Kenny, the writings “are conspiracy theories, there is information about Ponzi-type schemes and the fact that some of our schools are fronts for the mafia.”
Police identified the perpetrator as a man born in 1987, originally from Florida, and named Maxwell Azzarello. He reportedly arrived in New York a few days ago. His condition is judged “severe” but “he is alive”said the city’s fire chief, Laura Kavanagh, during a press briefing.
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The incident happened as court adjourned for lunch. Shortly before, Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the proceedings, had proclaimed that a full jury had been selected to judge Donald Trump, i.e. twelve members and six alternates. Immediately, the drama did not disrupt the progress of the trial of the former President of the United States. The hearing has since resumed and the candidate on his return to the White House did not make any comments upon his return to the courtroom.
Following the tragedy, the police assured that they would re-examine the security protocols around the court, while specifying that they had not been violated. “The park was open to the public”, recalled one of the police chiefs, Jeffrey Maddrey. The square has been occupied since the opening of the trial on Monday, April 15, by a few dozen pro or anti-Trump demonstrators, but without any notable incident until then.