NEW YORK, April 19. /TASS/. An unidentified man attempted to commit a suicide outside the courthouse where US former President Donald Trump’s trial is underway, CNN reported.

The incident took place when the jury panel was being selected and Trump was inside the courthouse. The man set himself on fire near the place where Trump’s supporters were rallying.

The investigation against Trump was prompted by The Wall Street Journal publication in January 2018 that a month before the 2016 presidential election, his lawyer Michael Cohen had paid porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, a sum of $0130,000 for her silence about her alleged sexual encounter with Trump some ten years ago.

In 2018, Cohen stood trial on several counts, including violating campaign financing laws by paying Daniels. Back then, no charges were brought against Trump, who enjoyed immunity as the head of state. But in November 2022, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office launched a new probe. Investigators believe that Trump reimbursed his lawyer for the money he had spent via Trump Organization as payment for court fees. On April 4, 2023, a court in New York brought criminal charges against Trump in the case of payments to Daniels.