Zohran Mamdani; an improvised explosive device thrown near Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 7, 2026
Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP;Michael M. Santiago/Getty
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the March 7 incident involving an improvised explosive device being deployed outside of Gracie Mansion, where he lives with wife Rama Duwaji, during an anti-Islam protest
“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism,” Mamdani wrote in a March 8 statement
He called the use of violence “disturbing” and “reprehensible”
An improvised explosive device was deployed at an anti-Islam protest near New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home.
Two suspects are in police custody in connection with the ignition of the explosive at an anti-Islam demonstration organized by Jake Lang, a right-wing influencer, on Saturday, March 7. Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter, named the protest “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.” He has not been charged.
Mamdani, who is Muslim, addressed the “disturbing” incident that took place outside of Gracie Mansion — the official N.Y.C. mayoral residence where he lives with wife Rama Duwaji — in a statement shared on his social media accounts on Sunday, March 8.
“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,” the mayor said, adding that “what followed was even more disturbing.”
Mamdani continued, “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.”
An improvised explosive device thrown near Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 7, 2026.
Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty
The N.Y.C. mayor then thanked the New York Police Department (NYPD) officers “who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe.” His administration, he concluded the statement, “is closely monitoring the situation and I remain in close contact with our Police Commissioner.”
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch first confirmed that a real explosive, not a hoax device, was deployed at the protest outside of Mamdani’s Manhattan residence in a statement on Sunday.
Tisch also confirmed that police “quickly apprehended” two individuals — Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19 — at the protest in connection with the incident. They were arrested and are in police custody, she said. As of Sunday evening, they have not been charged.
“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,” said Tisch. “Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device.”
An NYPD officer wearing an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) suit on March 8, 2026
Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the FBI — which is working with the NYPD and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York via the agencies’ Joint Terrorism Task Force — said that: “two suspicious items were recovered from the property of Gracie Mansion.”
“While there is not a threat to public safety, the FBI and the NYPD remain vigilant,” the agency said.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken the lead on the investigation.
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In an email to PEOPLE, the NYPD also said they have “identified a suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street.”
“NYPD officers have frozen the area around the vehicle and are conducting limited evacuations of buildings in the vicinity while the Bomb Squad assesses and removes the device,” the NYPD continued, adding in an update that they have since “safely removed the suspicious device from the area for further testing, and those who were evacuated are now allowed to return to their residences.”
Zohran Mamdani in October 2025
Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty
PEOPLE reached out to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
The FBI said that the public can report any additional information by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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