(Reuters) – A man tried to set himself on fire on Friday in New York court where Donald Trump is on criminal trial in the case of bribes paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels.
Witnesses said the man took pamphlets out of a backpack before throwing them in the air, dousing himself with liquid and setting himself on fire.
The man survived, New York Fire Chief Laura Kavanagh said.
“The victim is in critical condition but is alive and intubated,” she added.
Read also…
Authorities say the man, who until recently lived in St. Augustine, Florida, did not appear to be targeting the former US president.
One of the pamphlets, titled “The True History of the World,” included references to “evil billionaires,” but a Reuters witness said he did not see any mention of Donald Trump.
“For now, we label him a conspiracy theorist and we go from there,” Tarrik Sheppard, deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department, said at a news conference.
The New York court has been the subject of increased surveillance due to the almost daily presence of former US President Donald Trump since the opening of his trial on Monday.
This incident occurred shortly after the end of the selection of the twelve titular jurors and six alternates, paving the way for the start of the debates next week.
(Reporting Luc Cohen and Jack Queen in New York, Andy Sullivan in Washington, with Cynthia Osterman, French version Zhifan Liu and Kate Entringer)
©2024 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.