An attempted bomb attack during a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence in Manhattan is being investigated as an “act of ISIS-inspired terrorism,” US officials have said.
Two teens accused of supporting Islamic State – Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi – have been charged over the alleged attempt to detonate improvised explosive devices, according to federal prosecutors.
The alleged attack occurred during a protest on Saturday near Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence in the city, organized by activist Jake Lang in support of the US military operation in Iran.
About 20 people gathered under Lang’s banner “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City,” while roughly 125 counter-protesters rallied nearby. What began as a peaceful demonstration escalated into clashes after pepper spray was deployed, shortly before the suspected attempt to detonate explosive devices.
According to a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Monday, Balat, 18, and Kayumi, 19, “attempted to detonate two improvised explosive devices among the protesters,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement announcing the charges.
Officials say the suspects traveled from Pennsylvania to New York and allegedly threw at least one lit device during clashes between protesters and counter-protesters near Gracie Mansion. The explosive devices contained the volatile compound TATP and were packed with screws and bolts, but failed to detonate, investigators said.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the case is being “investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism.” “These were not hoax devices nor smoke bombs,” she told reporters, describing the explosives as capable of causing “serious injury or death.”
Court documents say the suspects made statements referencing Islamic State after their arrest. According to the criminal complaint, the suspects linked their actions to the terrorist group after their arrest. Kayumi reportedly told investigators that “ISIS” was the reason for his actions, while Balat reportedly said he wanted to carry out an attack “even bigger” than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured more than 260.
Authorities also recovered additional suspicious devices linked to the suspects, including one found in a nearby vehicle.
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