NEW YORK: A man has died after setting himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s 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 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.

An NYPD spokesperson said the man was declared dead overnight at a hospital. Officials had previously said he was in critical condition. Witnesses said the man, who was in his 30s, pulled pamphlets from 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 “evil billionaires” but portions that were visible did not mention Trump.

The NYPD 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. “Right now we are labeling him as sort of a conspiracy theorist, and we are going from there,” Tarik Sheppard, a deputy police commissioner, said at a news conference.

In an online manifesto, a man using that name said he set himself on fire and apologised to friends, witnesses and first responders. The post warns of “an apocalyptic fascist coup” and criticises cryptocurrency and US politicians, but does not single out Trump in particular.

A smell of smoke lingered in the plaza after the incident, according to a witness, and a police officer sprayed a fire extinguisher on the ground. A smoldering backpack and a gas can were visible. The downtown Manhattan courthouse, heavily guarded by police, drew a throng of protesters and onlookers on Monday, the trial’s first day, though crowds have since dwindled.

The shocking development came shortly after jury selection for the trial was completed, clearing the way for prosecutors and defense 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.

The 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 defence lawyer Susan Necheles. Trump may testify on his own behalf, in a risky move that would open him up to cross-examination.

The 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 United States and countries including 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.

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 she says they had a decade earlier.

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2024