NEW YORK — Two Bucks County men charged with bringing homemade bombs to a protest outside the home of New York City’s mayor were recorded describing their plan to kill as many as 60 people in a bid to “start terror,” according to an indictment released Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Their conversations were preserved on dashcam audio and video recordings recovered from the vehicle they drove from Pennsylvania to Manhattan ahead of the March 7 attack where prosecutors say two explosive devices were thrown. Neither exploded, and both men were quickly detained.<\/p>\n
In the recordings, Emir Balat, 18, said he wanted to target “the government” and “civilians also,” according to the new court filing. “All I know is I want to start terror, bro,” the other passenger, 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, allegedly added.<\/p>\n
RELATED: FBI raids homes of 2 Bucks County men accused of throwing explosive device in NYC protest<\/a> Prosecutors have accused Kayumi and Balat of lighting the homemade devices – which contained the explosive TATP and shrapnel – during an anti-Islam demonstration hosted by Jake Lang, a far-right activist and critic of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim to hold the office.<\/p>\n Kayumi and Balat later told police they were inspired by ISIS, according to a federal complaint released last month.<\/p>\n At an initial court appearance last month, Balat’s lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said his client had “complicated stuff going on” in his life, without elaborating. Kayumi’s attorney declined to speak to reporters.<\/p>\n
Police also recovered a notebook inside the car outlining an alternative plan for a vehicle attack on locations that included festivals, parades and celebrations, according to the indictment.<\/p>\n