The New York Police Department confirmed that a lit device recovered during Saturday’s protests outside Gracie Mansion was an improvised explosive device capable of causing serious injury or death, according to Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The device was deployed during a clash between an anti-Islam demonstration led by conservative influencer Jake Lang and a larger group of counterprotesters outside the official residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani on the Upper East Side.
“The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb. It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death,” Tisch said in a social media post Sunday.
Investigators are examining whether the two suspects behind the device were inspired by ISIS, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The bomb squad searched a car Sunday afternoon parked blocks from Gracie Mansion that investigators believe belongs to the suspects.
Police arrested Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi in connection with the incident, Tisch confirmed. Both men are from Pennsylvania and remain in federal custody, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The FBI and NYPD were conducting interviews with each suspect and working to connect with relatives and close contacts in Pennsylvania, an FBI spokesperson said.
The incident unfolded around 12:30 p.m. Saturday when an 18-year-old counterprotester “lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area,” according to Tisch. Witnesses reported the device was smoking but extinguished itself after hitting a barrier and landing a few feet from police, the commissioner said.
The same individual then grabbed a second device from a 19-year-old man, lit it, and dropped it, police said. No one was injured by either device. Investigators are still conducting analysis on the second device recovered Saturday.
The two protest groups were initially separated by police barriers before tensions escalated. Lang’s demonstration was called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer,” according to police. The suspects were identified as counterprotesters to Lang’s event.
Mayor Mamdani released a statement Sunday condemning both the original protest and the violence that followed.
“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,” Mamdani said. “What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
The mayor praised the NYPD’s response to the incident.
“I want to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe. Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day,” Mamdani said.
Police made a total of six arrests during Saturday’s protest, according to Tisch. In addition to the two men responsible for the explosive devices, officers arrested one person for deploying pepper spray and three others for disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic.
The mayor’s administration is closely monitoring the situation, and Mamdani said he remains in close contact with the police commissioner as the investigation continues.
