A Philadelphia man was among the people charged after protesters clashed outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence Saturday, NYPD sources told CBS News. The FBI has since launched a terrorism investigation after explosive devices were ignited, allegedly by a counter-protester.

Ian McGinnis, 21, of Philadelphia, was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and possession of a noxious material (pepper spray).

On Saturday, an anti-Islam protest was organized by people associated with Jake Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter and far-right influencer, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch. A group of more than 100 counter-protesters also gathered. 

NYPD sources told CBS News that McGinnis appears to be a part of the initial protests called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.” He was allegedly captured on video using pepper spray on counter-protesters. Three other people were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction charges.

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Supporters of far-right influencer Jake Lang (facing camera) use pepper spray (center) as they face counter-protesters during a protest organized by Lang against alleged “Islamification” and to ask for a “stop of public Muslim prayer” in New York, in front of Gracie Mansion, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence, on March 7, 2026.

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU /AFP via Getty Images

Additionally, two men from Pennsylvania, 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, were both arrested after the protest but have yet to be charged. Tisch told reporters that Balat and Kayumi were with the group of counter-protesters called “Run the Nazis Out of New York City/Stand Against Hate.”

According to Tisch, Balat lit and threw an ignited device toward protesters. Witnesses told police they saw flames and smoke as the device traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers. 

In a video from the scene, a man appears to yell “Allahu Akbar” just as Balat throws the device. The videos were verified by the CBS News Confirmed Team. It is not clear from the videos who was shouting the words. 

Tisch said Balat then ran ran southbound and got a second device from Kayumi. Balat allegedly lit the device and ran with it before dropping it on the west side of East End Avenue between East 86th and East 87th streets.

Sources told CBS News that investigators are looking to determine if at least one of the subjects was inspired by ISIS extremist messaging.

Tisch told reporters that the devices were a bit smaller than a football and appear to be a jar wrapped in tape with nuts, bolts and screws, along with a hobby fuse. 

Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News a federal terrorism investigation is underway after the suspicious device was ignited. 

Tisch said in a statement Sunday that one of the devices was determined not to be a “hoax device or a smoke bomb,” but instead it was “an improvised explosive device (IED) that could have caused serious injury or death.”

On Sunday, another suspicious device was found inside a vehicle on East End Avenue about three blocks south of the park where Gracie Mansion is located, the NYPD said. The discovery of the device prompted some evacuations of buildings in the area while the Bomb Squad assesses and removes the device.  

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken the lead on the investigation. Sources told CBS News that search warrants were expected to be executed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 

Anna Schecter

contributed to this report.

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