Haunting words of conspiracy theorist Max Azzarello claiming he was protester who set himself on fire outside Trump trial are posted online just hours before horror self-immolation – as dozens of his pamphlets are dropped at the scene
- Police named the man who set himself on fire in New York on Friday as Max Azzarello
- The conspiracy theorist claimed in a blog post that his ‘extreme act of protest’
The man who set himself on fire during the trial of former President Donald Trump in Manhattan has been named as Florida native Maxwell Crosby Azzarello.
Azzarello, 37, is in critical condition after setting himself on fire Friday as shocked witnesses and CNN cameras looked on.
He described himself as a research researcher in a blog post published just hours before he set himself on fire.
Azzarello dropped flyers with a link to a Substack post explaining his actions before setting himself on fire.
The blog was titled, “I set myself on fire outside the Trump trial.”
The conspiracy theorist claimed in the blog post that his “extreme act of protest” was intended to shine a light on what he called a “totalitarian scam.”
The man who set himself on fire during former President Donald Trump’s trial in Manhattan has been named as Florida native Max Azzarello.
The dramatic moment took place on day four of the former president’s hush money trial in Manhattan
He wrote that the government was “about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup.”
Azzarello added, “To my friends and family, witnesses and first responders: I deeply apologize for causing you this pain. But I assure you it is just a drop in the bucket compared to what our government is planning.”
Azarello traveled to New York City a week ago and said on his Instagram that he would be staying in Washington Square Park.
On his LinkedIn profile, where he appears in a photo with Bill Clinton, Azzarello wrote: “We have a secret fascism problem.”
His profile states that he has been self-employed since March 2023.
Azarello earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009.
He then received a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Rutgers University in New Jersey in 2012.
Azarello traveled to New York City a week ago and said on his Instagram that he would be staying in Washington Square Park
An hour before he set himself on fire, Azarello posted a text message to his Instagram Story that merely repeated the words “I love you.”
Last year, he filed a lawsuit against the Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, Binance, Peter Thiel, Mark Cuban, Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg, among a dozen other entities.
His complaint states: “Each of the defendants knowingly conspired, participated in, and financially benefited from a decades-long fraudulent scheme.”
Azarello seems to accuse companies like Facebook
In bizarre Instagram posts, Azarello stares at the camera and sings about starting a revolution.
An hour before he set himself on fire, Azarello posted a text to his Instagram Story that merely repeated the words “I love you.”
Azarello was arrested twice last year for disturbing the peace in Florida.
Shocking video showed the man twitching on the ground as he was engulfed in flames, before another man rushed over with a fire extinguisher.
In the nearby courtroom, a jury of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates was selected in Trump’s hush money trial.
Judge Juan M. Merchan, seemingly oblivious to what was unfolding outside, told the newly selected jurors that opening statements are scheduled for Monday at 9:30 a.m.