In an earlier update, over the weekend, Tisch told reporters the protest was organised by Jake Lang, a far-right influencer and pardoned 6 January rioter. That group was outnumbered by the counter-protest, which had over 100 participants.
As the two groups clashed, video from the scene confirmed by the BBC’s media partner, CBS News, showed Balat throwing the first “ignited device”, which extinguished itself after striking a barrier.
Balat then retrieved a second device from Kayumi, lit it, and started running before later dropping it, Tisch said. In the updates provided on Monday, Mamdani said both devices had been thrown.
A preliminary analysis of one of the devices determined that it was “an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death”, Tisch also wrote on X.
The devices were reportedly made from glass bottles filled with explosive material and surrounded by fragmentation, or nuts and bolts, with a firework-type fuse.
“The FBI and NYPD confirmed the suspicious items to be improvised explosive devices (IEDs)”, the FBI wrote on X.
“Additionally, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) will be conducting interviews, reviewing videos, collecting evidence, and chasing down all leads.”
Police also arrested Ian McGuiness, 21, for allegedly using pepper spray on counter-protesters. He and three others were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction.
In a statement on Sunday, Mamdani called the anti-Islam protest “rooted in bigotry and racism” but 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 said.