Man in 'critical condition' after lighting himself on fire outside Trump courthouse

A man who lit himself on fire - outside of the courthouse where the Trump trial is underway - is in a critical condition, police confirmed.

In a press conference on Friday, New York Police Department (NYPD) said the man walked into the park across the street from the courthouse, throwing flyers into the air.

He took out a canister from his backpack, believed to contain an accelerant, and poured the contents over himself before setting himself alight.

At least one person used a fire extinguisher to try to put out the blaze, before emergency crews rushed a person away on a stretcher.

NYPD says there are no public safety threats.

A full jury of 12 people and six alternates had been seated in Trump’s hush money case just minutes earlier, drawing the first criminal trial of a former US president a step closer to opening statements.

Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from reimbursements made to his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen for hush money payments he made before the 2016 election to an adult film star alleging an affair with Trump.

He has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair with Stormy Daniels.

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