Two men accused of throwing improvised explosive devices during a protest outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday were inspired by the terror group The Islamic State, or ISIS, and wanted to kill more people than the Boston Marathon bombing, according to the multi-count federal complaint released Monday.
The suspects, 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, traveled to the city from Pennsylvania specifically to bring violence, and pledged allegiance to ISIS.
Mamdani denounced the attempted terror attack just feet from where he lives, and praised the police for their swift action.
“They are suspected of coming here to commit an act of terrorism,” he said at a press conference Monday morning. “There is video of these two individuals throwing two devices toward the protest.”
In a later statement, he said that the suspects “should be held fully accountable for their actions. We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in our city.”
Lawyers for the suspects did not respond to messages seeking comment.
The chaos began Saturday afternoon when pardoned Jan. 6 attacker Jake Lang organized an anti-Islam protest outside Gracie. He brought a roasted pig and a goat to the protest to denounce what he called a “takeover” of the city by Muslims.
There were around 20 supporters with him while a counter-protest drew more than 120 people, police said.
Both Balat and Kayumi came for the counter-protest and threw smoldering devices into the crowd of protesters on East End Avenue, officials said. They were quickly detained by police officers, who also isolated the devices.
The NYPD bomb squad later found that the devices contained triacetone triperoxide, known as TATP, which is a “dangerous and highly volatile homemade explosive that has been used in IED attacks around the world,” Tisch said. Samples were sent to the FBI for further testing.
A third device found inside a car with New Jersey plates on Sunday did not have any explosive material inside, she added.
The five-count federal indictment accuses the suspects of attempted terroristic acts, including use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
It details the ways Balat and Kayumi openly and sometimes unprompted pledged support for ISIS, the international terrorist organization that has been behind multiple deadly terror attacks.
The pair arrived in New York City just an hour before they threw the bombs, and the car they drove was found a few blocks south of Gracie Mansion on Sunday.
A device found inside was not hazardous, police said, but the indictment said officers also found a notebook with handwritten notes and a list of chemical ingredients, including “hydrogen peroxide,” “sulfuric acid,” and “acetone.”
Rebecca Weiner, the Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said at a news briefing Monday afternoon that the IEDs were “volatile” when the bomb squad detonated them during testing
NYPD counterterrorism head Rebecca Weiner speaks alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch about the investigation into two men who threw explosive devices at a protest outside Gracie Mansion, March 9, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
“They could have caused death, destruction,” she said.
Balat, who detonated the first improvised explosive device at Saturday’s protest, allegedly told police after he was arrested and on the drive to the precinct that “this isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet . . . We take action! We take action!”
He then, according to the complaint, waived his Miranda rights and wrote on a piece of paper: “All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegience [sic] to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar!”
“Kuffar” is an Arabic term that refers to “non-believers” or “infidels,” according to the complaint. “Die in your rage” is also used by ISIS, officials said.
Asked if he wanted to recreate the Boston Marathon bombing, he allegedly replied: “No, even bigger. It was only three deaths.”
After Kayumi was arrested by police officers, someone in the crowd asked why he did it and he replied, “ISIS,” according to the complaint.
He later told police officers that he watched ISIS propaganda on his phone.
Mamdani, who was not at Monday afternoon’s press conference at NYPD headquarters, said Monday morning that the NYPD knew about the protest for about a week and made security precautions. He and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were not home at the time of the incident, and instead were at the New York City Sign Museum.
He and Tisch praised the work of police officers at the scene, particularly Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Louis Navarro, who ran towards the devices. Edwards, who just became the borough chief in Manhattan North precinct, joined the NYPD after he was inspired by police officers who ran into the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 attacks, Tisch said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch speaks at One Police Plaza about the investigation into two men who threw explosive devices at a protest outside Gracie Mansion, March 9, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Mamdani also spoke about the initial protest, saying it is “a vile protest rooted in white supremacy entitled ‘Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.’”
“Anti-Muslim bigotry is nothing new to me, nor is it anything new for the 1 million or so Muslim New Yorkers who know this city is our home,” he added.
But the mayor said he would continue to allow any protest in New York City, even though he found Saturday’s “appalling.”
“I will not waver in my beliefs that it should be allowed to happen,” he said. “Ours is a free society where the right to peaceful protest is sacred. It does not belong only to those I agree with.”
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