On Friday, a man set himself ablaze in front of the New York courthouse where the trial concerning hush money payments involving American presidential candidate Donald Trump is taking place.
This incident occurred shortly after the jurors were selected, according to media reports.
As a CNN reporter was delivering a live broadcast relating to
Donald Trump's court appearance, a man across the street ignited himself. Bystanders rushed to assist the man and extinguished the fire.
Emergency services transported the man to the hospital, where he is said to be in critical condition. The CNN reporter noted that the man was on fire for more than three minutes.
A senior law enforcement official told CNN that the man walked into the park opposite the courthouse, threw flyers into the air, doused himself with a liquid, and then lit himself on fire. This was after pulling something out of a backpack. Investigators are currently collecting the scattered flyers. According to the crew, the flyers claimed that “NYU is a mob front.”
Donald Trump's trial over hush money payments began on Monday in Manhattan. The process is currently at the jury selection stage, with the former president insisting on being present. According to Sky News, the self-immolation took place after the selection of the 12 jurors and 6 alternates.
On the first day of the trial, Trump asserted there was "no case," blaming the lawsuit on his rival,
Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate.
Alvin Bragg, a Democratic elected district attorney in New York, filed charges against
Donald Trump a year ago. The charges allege that the former president illegally accounted for a substantial payment as a campaign expense during his 2016 campaign. This payment, among others, was intended for a former adult film actress, in exchange for her silence about her acquaintance with Trump, who was a businessman at the beginning of the 2000s.
The indictment lists 34 counts of criminal activity, which could lead to severe imprisonment. The defense argues that the case should not have reached the court stage, citing the statute of limitations. In total, four criminal cases have been initiated against the former president, two under federal state jurisdiction and two as federal indictments.
Interestingly, the trial itself did not draw as much attention on Monday as the fact that Trump dozed off twice, sparking a wave of memes online.
Donald Trump is the first former U.S. president to stand trial in a criminal case.