There’s now more information about that device that was thrown at police and an “anti-Islamification” protest near Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor’s residence, as well as more information about the men accused in the action.
According to the NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the “ignited device” we reported about was, in fact, a dangerous IED.
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…
— Jessica S. Tisch (@NYPDPC) March 8, 2026
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.
Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device.
Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested on scene yesterday and are in custody in connection with this matter. The NYPD is working on this investigation with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI through our Joint Terrorism Task Force.
I want to again thank the brave members of the NYPD who ran towards the danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.
She also appears to be correcting the name of the second man, who had been initially tentatively identified as “Ibrahim Nikk.”
Fox’s Bill Melugin posted that both men were allegedly U.S. citizens. At least one of them allegedly yelled, “Allahu Akbar.”
NEW: Per three federal law enforcement sources, the two suspects arrested by NYPD for throwing an IED after yelling “Allahu Akbar” at a protest in NYC yesterday are both believed to be U.S. citizens. Emir Balat & Ibrahim Kayumi are in custody & NYPD confirms it was a real IED.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 8, 2026
Pro tip? That might be a clue to motivation. As we noted, the media seemed to deliberately obscure who was doing what in this case. If you looked at some of their headlines, you might think the IEDs were targeting Mayor Zohran Mamdani, rather than toward the police and the people protesting about Mamdani.
Meanwhile, Mamdani issued a disgraceful statement, obscuring who allegedly committed the attack. He attacked Jake Lang and left out the identity of the actual people accused. While he talks about “white supremacy,” he doesn’t talk about the ideology or motivations behind the alleged 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.
What followed was even more disturbing. Violence…
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 8, 2026
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.
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.
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.
My administration is closely monitoring the situation and I remain in close contact with our Police Commissioner.
If you read that without more, you would assume Lang or one of his contingent did it. Mamdani can’t even just be straightforward about what happened. It took him a day to come up with that terrible statement.
The fact that Mamdani would put out such a statement, knowing how it would read, and yet he did it anyway, is despicable.
Law enforcement was also looking into it as a possible act of terrorism.
BREAKING | NBC News: The NYPD and FBI are looking into this incident as a possible act of terrorism in part because one of the suspects directly referenced ISIS in statements to law enforcement, multiple people familiar with the matter say.
Reported w/ @jonathan4ny https://t.co/YQ5K6QKsEq
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) March 8, 2026
Editor’s Note: New York City is now facing the consequences of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s socialist takeover.
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