REVEALED: Maxwell Azzarello's unhinged posts about Taylor Swift before he set ... trends now
The man who set himself on fire outside Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York City was a Taylor Swift fan who regularly referenced the pop star in his online rants.
Maxwell Azzarello, 37, doused himself in an alcohol substance before taking a lighter to his clothes near Manhattan criminal court on Friday.
He was seen kneeling with his hands behind his head engulfed in flames as the world's media and horrified onlookers watched.
The protestor was taken away in a gurney by NYPD officers and remains in the hospital in critical condition.
But weeks before he lit himself on fire, Azzarello, who describes himself as an investigative researcher, had posted about Swift on at least three different occasions on his Instagram stories.
Maxwell Azzarello, 37, had been posting about Taylor Swift weeks before he set himself on fire outside Donald Trump 's ongoing trial in New York
He was seen kneeling with his hands behind his head engulfed in flames as the world's media and horrified onlookers watched. NYPD officers rushed to extinguish the flames.
But weeks before he lit himself on fire, Azzarello, who describes himself as an investigative researcher, had posted about Taylor Swift on three different occasions on his Instagram stories
In one of his uploads from late February, the Florida-resident reposted an AI image of Swift dressed as Wonder Woman with the caption: 'Super Bowl LVII Forecast: 100% chance of broflakes melting down and whining across the nation.'
Under the AI image, Azzarello wrote: 'Why are we all so divided? Because the people who stole the American Dream are shouting "You're divided! You're divided!" in all directions'.
During the same time, he shared another AI generated picture of Swift sitting in a blood-covered oyster with multiple arms with the caption: 'Taylor Swift demands a sacrifice'.
Azzarello added his own thoughts to the caption and further wrote: 'An ironic doomsday cult is still a doomsday cult'.
In one of his stories from late February, the Florida-resident reposted an AI image of Swift dressed as Wonder Woman
During the same time, he shared another AI generated picture of Swift sitting in a blood-covered oyster with multiple arms
But after a series of cryptic AI generated pictures, the conspiracy theorist posted a real picture of Swift flashing a peace sign from her commencement speech at New York University in 2022
An hour before he self immolated, Azarello posted a text in his Instagram story that just repeated the words 'I love you.'