New York:
A man died after setting himself on fire Friday outside the New York courthouse site of Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial as jury selection concluded, but officials said it appeared he did not target Trump.
The man burned for several minutes in full view of television cameras set up outside the courthouse, where the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president is being held.
NBC News and other U.S. media said early Saturday that the man had died. NBC News quoted New York City police as saying that the hospital where the man was taken had pronounced him dead.
Officials had previously said the man, who was in his late 30s, was in critical condition.
Witnesses said the man took pamphlets from a backpack and threw them into the air before dousing himself with a liquid and setting himself on fire. One of those pamphlets contained references to “evil billionaires,” but parts visible to a Reuters witness did not mention Trump.
New York police said the man, whom they identified as Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, did not appear to target Trump or others involved in the trial.
“At this point we're labeling him as some kind of conspiracy theorist, and we'll go from there,” Tarik Sheppard, deputy police chief, said at a news conference.
In an online manifesto, a man using that name said he set himself on fire and apologized to friends, witnesses and first responders. The post warns of “an apocalyptic fascist coup” and criticizes cryptocurrency and US politicians, but does not mention Trump in particular.
Shortly after the incident, the square smelled of smoke, a Reuters witness said, and a police officer sprayed a fire extinguisher on the ground. A smoldering backpack and a gas cylinder were visible.
The courthouse in downtown Manhattan, heavily guarded by police, drew a crowd of protesters and onlookers on Monday, the first day of the trial, although the crowds have since dwindled.
JURY SELECTION COMPLETE
The shocking development came shortly after jury selection for the trial was completed, clearing the way for prosecutors and defense attorneys to deliver opening statements Monday in a case stemming from hush money paid to a porn star. The court adjourned later in the afternoon.
The 12 jurors, along with six alternates, will consider evidence in a first-ever trial to determine whether a former U.S. president is guilty of breaking the law. According to Trump attorney Susan Necheles, prosecutors plan to call at least 20 witnesses. Trump could testify on his own behalf, in a risky move that would expose him to cross-examination.
The jury consists of seven men and five women, mostly working in white-collar professions: two corporate lawyers, a software engineer, a speech therapist and an English teacher. Most are not native New Yorkers, coming from all over the United States and countries like Ireland and Lebanon. The alternates, who will also hear the case, are kept in reserve in case one of the jurors has to leave due to illness or some other reason.
Trump is accused of covering up a $130,000 payment his then-lawyer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep quiet about a sexual encounter they had a decade earlier.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying corporate records filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and denies any such meeting with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Trump has also pleaded not guilty in three other criminal cases, but this is the only one certain to go to trial ahead of the Nov. 5 election, when the Republican politician plans to take on Democratic President Joe Biden again.
A conviction would not remove him from office.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)