On Friday, someone was enveloped in flames outside the New York courtroom hosting the criminal hush money trial of former President Donald Trump. The man, named Max Azzarello, is still alive but in severe condition after flying from Florida to New York.
“(They were) almost like a conspiracy theory type of pamphlet, some information in regards to Ponzi schemes, and the fact that some of our local educational institutes are a front for the mob,” senior police officer Joseph Kenny stated.
The pamphlets include a link to a newsletter called “The Ponzi Papers,” in which Mr. Azzarello presented several claims relating to an “apocalyptic fascist world coup” that included Hollywood actor Rob Lowe, former US president Bill Clinton, sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, and crypto billionaires.
The 2,600-word diatribe, titled “I have set myself on fire outside the Trump Trial,” detailed the self-described investigative researcher’s numerous claims.
“My name is Max Azzarello, and I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan. This extreme act of protest is to draw attention to an urgent and important discovery: We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup,” it says.
Photos of printed pamphlets with titles like “The True History of the World (Haunted Carnival Edition),” “NYU is a Mob Front,” and “D——-t Secrets of our Rotten World” are also included in the manifesto.
Days before he self-immolation himself, Mr. Azzarello was seen outside the same courthouse holding a banner that said, “Trump is with Biden and they’re about to fascist coup us.” Following the act’s announcement, several videos of Mr. Azzarello singing, reading aloud from his manifesto, and urging viewers to spark a revolution went viral.
On social media, a picture of a grinning, younger Azzarello with Bill Clinton has also surfaced. In a conspiracy-theory-heavy lawsuit that was dismissed by the court last year, Mr. Azzarello sued 100 powerful persons, including Mr. Clinton.
According to police, they are looking into the event and have “labeled him a sort of conspiracy theorist”. “His condition is not good, but as of now he is still alive,” they continued.