Officials said victim, late 30s, survived and is in critical condition at hospital
\nNEW YORK
\nA man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump\u2019s historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
\nThe man burned for several minutes in full view of television cameras that were set up outside the courthouse, where the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president is being held.
\n\u201cHe was on fire for quite a while,\u201d one witness, who declined to give his name, told reporters. \u201cIt was pretty horrifying.\u201d
\nOfficials said the man, who is in his late 30s, survived and was in critical condition at a hospital.
\nWitnesses said the man pulled pamphlets out of a backpack and threw them in the air before he doused himself with a liquid and set himself on fire. One of those pamphlets included references to \u201cevil billionaires\u201d but portions that were visible to a Reuters witness did not mention Trump.
\nThe New York Police Department said the man, who they identified as Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, did not appear to be targeting Trump or others involved in the trial.
\n\u201cRight now we are labelling him as sort of a conspiracy theorist, and we are going from there,\u201d Tarik Sheppard, a deputy commissioner with the Police Department, said at a news conference.
\nIn 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 \u201can apocalyptic fascist coup\u201d and criticizes cryptocurrency and US politicians, but does not single out Trump in particular.
\nA smell of smoke lingered in the plaza shortly after the incident, according to a Reuters witness, and a police officer sprayed a fire extinguisher on the ground. A smouldering backpack and a gas can were visible.
\nThe downtown Manhattan courthouse, heavily guarded by police, drew a throng of protesters and onlookers on Monday, the trial\u2019s first day, though crowds have dwindled since then.
\nJury selection completed
\nThe shocking development came shortly after jury selection for the trial was completed, clearing the way for prosecutors and defence attorneys to make opening statements on Monday in a case stemming from hush money paid to a porn star. The court adjourned later in the afternoon.
\nThe 12 jurors, along with six alternates, will consider evidence in a first-ever trial to determine whether a former US president is guilty of breaking the law. Prosecutors intend to call at least 20 witnesses, according to Trump defense lawyer Susan Necheles. Trump may testify on his behalf, in a risky move that would open him up to cross-examination.
\nThe jury consists of seven men and five women, mostly employed in white-collar professions: two corporate lawyers, a software engineer, a speech therapist and an English teacher. Most are not native New Yorkers, hailing from across the US and countries like Ireland and Lebanon. The alternates, who will also hear the case, are held in reserve in case one of the jurors has to leave due to illness or some other cause.
\nTrump 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 she says they had a decade earlier.
\nTrump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and denies any such encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
\nTrump has pleaded not guilty in three other criminal cases as well, but this is the only one certain to go to trial ahead of the Novemebr 5 election when the Republican politician aims to again take on Democratic President Joe Biden.
\nA conviction would not bar him from office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Officials said victim, late 30s, survived and is in critical condition at hospital NEW YORK A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump\u2019s historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-401576","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n