Police investigate ISIS-inspired attack after IED thrown near NYC mayor’s home
An improvised explosive device thrown during protests outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence is now being investigated as a possible act of ISIS-inspired terrorism. Police say the device was capable of causing serious injury or death, and investigators are examining two additional devices connected to the incident.
The confrontation unfolded Saturday during dueling demonstrations outside the Upper East Side residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. A small anti-Muslim protest organized by far-right activist and white supremacist Jake Lang drew roughly 20 people, according to police. Lang is among the Jan. 6 defendants President Donald Trump pardoned upon his return to office last year. Counterprotesters gathered nearby, and their numbers quickly grew.
Police separated the groups when the demonstrations began late Saturday morning. Tensions escalated within about an hour.
Protest turns violent
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a protester from the Lang group used pepper spray against counterprotesters shortly after noon. Officers arrested that individual.
Minutes later, investigators say an 18-year-old counterprotester lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area. Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it flew through the air before hitting a barrier and putting itself out near police officers.
The suspect then ran south on East End Avenue, where police say he obtained a second device from another man before dropping it nearby.
Police initially believed the device was an improvised explosive device rather than a smoke bomb or hoax.
Tisch said the device appeared to be a jar wrapped in black tape and packed with bolts, screws and a hobby fuse. Investigators said it likely contained TATP, a powerful and unstable explosive sometimes used in terrorist attacks.
The device did not explode, but police said it had the capacity to cause serious injury or death.
Bomb squad determines device was an IED
A later analysis by the NYPD bomb squad found the device was not a hoax or smoke bomb.
“It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death,” Tisch wrote Sunday.
Police arrested two men at the scene — Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19 — both from Pennsylvania. Authorities said the second suspect supplied one of the devices.
Charges have not yet been announced.
Law enforcement sources told CNN the two suspects admitted they were inspired by ISIS, prompting investigators to examine the incident as a potential act of terrorism.
Investigators are conducting additional testing on both devices while examining materials recovered during the investigation. Officers also searched a vehicle connected to the suspects several blocks from the protest site.
Police said a third device was discovered Sunday inside a vehicle a few blocks south of Gracie Mansion. Bomb technicians secured the device while investigators examined whether it was connected to the protest incident.
Federal authorities join investigation
The FBI and federal prosecutors are now working with the NYPD through the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Federal agents are interviewing the suspects.
Investigators are reviewing electronic devices and conducting searches tied to the case, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Mamdani confirmed Monday that he and his wife weren’t inside Gracie Mansion during the protest. In a statement Sunday, he thanked officers who responded and condemned the violence.
“Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day,” he said.
Police said officers quickly detained the suspects as the situation unfolded. Tisch credited responding officers with preventing a more dangerous outcome.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
