The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud case faced a bomb threat at his residence in Nassau County, east of New York City, as reported by NBC News, Sky News’s US partner.
Authorities, responding on Thursday, summoned a bomb squad to Arthur Engoron’s home just hours before scheduled closing arguments in the trial.
Details regarding the judge’s presence at home during the threat remain undisclosed.
In a prior development on Wednesday, Chris Kise, Trump’s former lawyer, unsuccessfully requested permission for the former president to speak during the closing arguments, a plea denied by the judge.
Court spokesman Al Baker said security will be increased after a threat was made against the judge, without giving further details.
Mr Trump is still expected to attend court, where the state of New York seeks nearly $370m (£291m) from him in penalties for overstating his net worth to banks.
He took part in a campaign event in Iowa on Wednesday night and said he was being “forced” to return to New York for the closing arguments, despite there being no obligation for him to be present.
“This is a rigged and unfair trial,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Because of the alleged threat, there was a delay in processing lawyers and members of the media through security lines into court on Thursday morning.
Protesters, meanwhile, chanted behind with banner reading “No Dictators in the USA” while briefly blocking traffic.
Mr Engoron will issue a verdict at a later date without a jury, after he found Mr Trump liable for fraud in September – leaving the trial to focus on how much money he should surrender as ill-gotten gains.
The lawsuit, brought forward by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleges Mr Trump and his associates inflated the value of his assets by billions of dollars to secure better loan terms.
Trump’s court cameo will continue to propel his popularity whilst Prosecutor warns of ‘frightening future’ if Trump wins case.
Mr Trump, who has decried the case as a political with hunt, has denied wrongdoing.
The frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has complained the trial interferes with his campaign, though he uses court appearances to rally support with inflammatory remarks to news cameras.
But Mr Engoron denied his attempt to make his own closing argument after Mr Trump refused to accept rules barring him from making a “campaign speech”.
The lawsuit is just one of many legal troubles Mr Trump faces as he campaigns to challenge President Joe Biden in the November 2024 election.
