Extra security steps during Trump court day

New York City officials are said to be planning to close key streets in lower Manhattan as a security measure when former President Donald Trump appears in court to be arraigned.

Several streets surrounding the Manhattan courthouse, including Centre Street and Baxter Street, are expected to be closed to traffic, while other adjacent streets such as Worth Street and Canal Street, may also experience intermittent closures. Vehicles could also be prohibited from parking in the immediate area.

Trump is expected to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon (2am on Wednesday, Hong Kong time), the first former US president to be indicted.

A grand jury convened by Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who had been investigating Trump's role in hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign, determined there was enough evidence to bring criminal charges against him.

Trump, who is running for the Republican nomination for next year's presidential race, has denied any wrongdoing and called the probe and the indictment a partisan attack. Bragg is a Democrat.

Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer who once said he would do anything to protect him, is now poised to serve as a key witness in the trial of his longtime boss.

Cohen, who became a top executive at Trump's real estate company and then his personal lawyer, testified twice before the grand jury. Cohen has said that Trump directed him to pay Daniels HK$130,000 (HK$1 million) to keep her from speaking about a sexual encounter she has said she had with Trump in 2006.

Preparations have already been visible in the lower Manhattan courthouse.

A team of Secret Service agents accompanied by New York Police Department officials have toured the courthouse and its entrances, apparently mapping Trump's transit through the building. The public is barred from entering the floor where New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, the judge who will preside over Trump's case, has his courtroom.

Trump already warned there could be violence if he was indicted, saying on his Truth Social platform on March 24 that if he was charged there could be "potential death and destruction." Ahead of the indictment, he also called for protesters to "take our nation back," echoing his rhetoric before the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.