“It’s like drug dealing. You give them something that they’re [going to] get high off of. A kid who\u2019s looking for a sense of meaning, belonging, purpose, identity,” Shaikh said on “Saturday in America.”<\/a><\/p>\n “He\u2019s a zero in real life and he goes online and suddenly he\u2019s Abu Jihad, a superhero. He\u2019s from zero to hero overnight,” he added.<\/p>\n HERO NYPD OFFICERS HONORED FOR FOILING ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED TERROR PLOT NEAR GRACIE MANSION<\/a><\/p>\n Ibrahim Kayumi, right, pictured handing an object to Emir Balat, left. Both men were arrested on March 7 after allegedly attempting to bomb a protest in New York City and pledging allegiance to the ISIS terror group. (Justice Department Office of Public Affairs)<\/p>\n On March 7, two teenagers attempted to use improvised explosive devices<\/a> at a demonstration outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s home, Gracie Mansion. 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi traveled from Pennsylvania to Manhattan to hurl explosive devices into a crowd, according to the Justice Department.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The incident is being investigated as “ISIS-inspired terrorism<\/a>” after one of the suspects reportedly wrote and signed a pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State, according to federal prosecutors.<\/p>\n Shaikh explained that ideology combined with grievances is what stirs young people to act. He described purpose and identity as a product being sold by jihadist recruiters.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019S ABBY PHILLIP WRONGLY CLAIMS NEW YORK CITY ISIS-INSPIRED TERROR ATTACK WAS \u2018AGAINST\u2019 MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI<\/a><\/p>\n New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks alongside Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch during a news conference at Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 9. (Leonardo Munoz\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Shaikh noted the United States has fought other countries in the past, including Vietnam and Japan, yet there is no generation of young people “out to kill Americans.”<\/p>\n “They don’t have an ideology that tells them, \u2018Hey, these attacks are occurring because you’re Muslim. This is the reason why. And they hate you because of your identity and your religion<\/a>. And that’s why you got to lash out and attack them back,\u2019” he said.<\/p>\n MYSTERIOUS CALLS PLACED FROM NYC TERROR SUSPECT FAMILY’S HOME HOURS AFTER ALLEGED ISIS-INSPIRED ATTACK<\/a><\/p>\n Shaikh added that young people can quickly be radicalized online, far from the Middle East. He recalled his counterterrorism work against the “Toronto 18” in Canada, noting those young people had been fueled by what they saw online.<\/p>\n 18-year-old Emir Balat is arrested after allegedly throwing a handmade smoke grenade during a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” protest on March 7, 2026.\u00a0 (Ryan Murphy\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Ibrahim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773519489_234_balat-and-kayumi-nyc-isis-bomb-plot.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"NYC](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773519489_579_mamdani-tisch-nypd-terror-attack-fox-news.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"18-year-old](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/terrorism-nypd-emir-balat-crime-fox-news.jpg\")
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