Reports say the Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified and arrested two U.S. nationals after they allegedly deployed an improvised explosive device near the home of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The FBI said on X that Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested at the scene near Gracie Mansion Conservancy. Preliminary analysis from the New York Police Department stated that the IEDs were made using a sports drink container filled with triacetone triperoxide.
Authorities said the devices could have caused serious injury or death if they had detonated. According to reports, one of the suspects referenced ISIS in a statement to law enforcement officers.
The bomb squad blocked off the area around Gracie Mansion as investigators examined a suspicious vehicle parked near the intersection of East End Avenue and East 80th Street. Officers later found a device inside the vehicle, prompting a limited evacuation in the area.
Earlier reports indicated that both suspects had been arrested for their alleged involvement in a confrontation outside Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. The incident unfolded during a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” event led by far-right activist Jake Lang.
The small gathering drew a larger group of counter-protesters. During the protest, police said one person threw a smoking object containing nuts, bolts, screws, and a “hobby fuse” into the crowd.
Officials reported that no explosions or injuries occurred, but six people were arrested following the protest.
In a social media post Sunday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department’s bomb squad determined the object was not a hoax device or smoke bomb but an improvised explosive device capable of causing serious injury or death.
She added that investigators will continue further analysis, including examining a second device. “The NYPD is working on this investigation with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI through our Joint Terrorism Task Force,” she wrote.
The official New York City Police Department X account also confirmed that investigators found a suspicious device during the investigation, stating: “In connection with the ongoing investigation into the improvised explosive device deployed yesterday, the NYPD has identified a suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street.”
Mamdani released a statement on X about the incident Sunday, thanking law enforcement officers for responding quickly and saying he is working closely with Tisch on the investigation.
“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,” Mamdani said.
“What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” he continued. “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, but it is also reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
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