New York City officials provided new details about an incident in which two pro-Islam counterprotesters threw improvised explosive devices at anti-Islam protesters on Saturday.
During a Monday morning press conference, New York City Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the two apprehended suspects committed a potential act of “ISIS-inspired terrorism” and revealed the investigation is being treated as such.
Here are all the latest details to know about the incident and investigation.
What happened?
Two makeshift bombs were hurled toward participants at right-wing influencer Jake Lang’s protest while a dueling demonstration was taking place opposite the rally outside Gracie Mansion. The bombs were ignited and deployed, but no injuries were reported.
Tisch said the devices could have caused “serious injury or death” because one of them contained triacetone triperoxide, otherwise known as TATP. The substance is considered “dangerous” and “highly volatile” and is frequently used in IED attacks, the police commissioner explained.
Neither of them was considered a hoax device or a smoke bomb.
The homemade explosives appeared to be jars wrapped in black tape containing bolts, screws, and a hobby fuse, according to the NYPD bomb squad’s preliminary analysis.
A third device was found in a vehicle on Sunday, prompting evacuations of nearby buildings before authorities safely removed the device. It tested negative for explosive material, Tisch said.
“We have been in a heightened state of alert in New York City since the start of hostilities in Iran, and we remain in that posture,” she told reporters. “Today, we will continue to deploy additional counterterrorism resources throughout New York City.”
Who are the suspects?
The suspects were identified as Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19. They traveled from Pennsylvania to attend the anti-Islam protest with the intent to commit violence, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said outside his residence.
Their homes in Pennsylvania were served with search warrants by federal law enforcement on Monday. Another warrant was executed at an address in New Jersey related to the investigation.
Balat and Kayumi are the sons of Turkish and Afghan immigrants, respectively. Both of their parents later became naturalized U.S. citizens after moving to the country years ago.
Balat lived with his family in Pennsylvania, according to CBS News. However, it remains unclear if Kayumi was living with his parents until the incident.
Charges against both suspects are expected to be unveiled in an unsealed complaint on Monday. Details about their alleged support of ISIS will presumably be disclosed in the complaint.
There are no additional suspects under investigation at this time, according to officials.
What was the protest being targeted?
Lang, who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot over five years ago, organized a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” rally to protest the first Muslim mayor elected in New York City. His event drew about 20 participants while the opposing protest, called “Drive the Nazis Out of New York,” peaked at about 125 people.
Both groups clashed at certain times, leading the two pro-Islam counterprotesters to ignite and deploy the explosives.
On Lang’s side, a protester pepper-sprayed counterprotesters as tensions rose. That person was one of six arrested, along with Balat and Kayumi.
Mamdani and his wife were not present at Gracie Mansion at the time of the incident. Instead, they were at the New York Sign Museum in Brooklyn.
What have officials said?
Tisch said while the two suspects may have been inspired by ISIS to commit terrorism, their actions appear unrelated to the U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran based on the evidence so far.
The police commissioner has provided updates on social media since the protests over the weekend. She reiterated much of that information during the press conference on Monday.
Mamdani initially responded to the explosive devices in a post on Sunday, denouncing the pro-Islam suspects while also condemning the right-wing protest. The mayor notably named Lang as the person responsible for the rally, but he did not reveal the identities of the attackers.
“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are,” Mamdani said on X.
“What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” he added. “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
Mamdani called out “anti-Muslim bigotry” again during the press conference but expressed his support for the right to protest, even though he found Lang’s rally “appalling.”
FBI joins NYPD investigation
Both federal and local authorities are investigating the incident as a possible act of terrorism.
The FBI said its Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York is investigating the case, alongside the NYPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
PRO-ISLAM COUNTERPROTESTER ARRESTED AFTER DEPLOYING EXPLOSIVE DEVICE OUTSIDE MAMDANI RESIDENCE
Tisch declined to provide some specific details requested by reporters, as public knowledge of the information could potentially harm the pending prosecution.
FBI agents and NYPD officers worked together to cordon off an area near Gracie Mansion on Sunday due to the third suspicious device.