On Friday afternoon, a man set himself on fire outside the New York City courthouse where former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial was taking place.
The man has been identified as Max Azzarello, a 37-year-old left-wing conspiracy theorist.
According to reports, Azzarello soaked himself with an accelerant and threw pamphlets into the air before setting himself ablaze. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Azzarello’s LinkedIn account reveals that he worked for Democratic politicians in the past but became disillusioned with the political system. In a rambling manifesto, he claimed to be an investigative researcher and stated that he committed the act to draw attention to an urgent discovery.
He claimed that the world was being subjected to a “totalitarian con” involving cryptocurrency, billionaires, Silicon Valley, and Facebook. He also believed that the U.S. government unleashed the coronavirus pandemic in order to cover up a massive stock market anomaly.
NEW: The man who lit himself on fire outside of Trump’s trial in NYC has been identified as Max Azzarello.
“My name is Max Azzarello, and I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan,” his manifesto read.
“This extreme act… pic.twitter.com/xDjTgNDS6r
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 19, 2024
Azzarello’s writings and social media posts show a disturbed mind riddled with conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic beliefs. He supported Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel and made false claims about the country.
BREAKING: Max Azzarello has died from severe burns he got when he set himself on fire outside the courthouse where Trump was being tried.
But dont get it twisted.
He didn’t kill himself because of Donald Trump.
He killed himself because (in his own words):
“We are victims of…
— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) April 20, 2024
It is concerning to see how easily conspiracy theories and propaganda can radicalize someone.
Here is Max Azzarello (the guy who lit himself on fire) with Bill Clinton. Just gonna drop this here… pic.twitter.com/hOOQ81CZYJ
— Gen. Reality -😆🇺🇸🤩⚖️ (@WadeDav04301694) April 23, 2024
This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of spreading false information and the need for critical thinking. It is alarming that someone like Azzarello could be influenced to carry out such a drastic act, which could have had even more severe consequences.
This is a photo floating around of Max Azzarello who allegedly set himself on fire outside of Trump’s trial in NYC. Notice he’s wearing a Bernie Sanders shirt.
Interesting timing with all the allegations surrounding Sanders. pic.twitter.com/HJ32QItCNh
— Vision4theBlind (@Vision4theBlind) April 23, 2024
