Two young men from Pennsylvania have been arrested after throwing improvised explosive devices outside Gracie Mansion during dueling protests on Saturday, in what NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism. No injuries were reported in the incident, which unfolded just steps from the official residence of New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
The suspects, identified as 18-year-old Emir Balat of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi of Newton, Pennsylvania, were among six people taken into custody in connection with the chaotic scene that erupted outside the Upper East Side mansion on March 7, 2026. Both men told investigators they had watched ISIS videos, according to law enforcement sources cited by ABC News.
The confrontation grew out of an anti-Islam demonstration organized by far-right influencer Jake Lang. That protest drew roughly 20 participants, while a counterprotest swelled to over 100 people, peaking at about 125, according to Commissioner Tisch. It was from the counterprotest side that the explosive devices were hurled, CNN reported.
Around 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Balat lit and threw the first device toward the protest area, Commissioner Tisch said. It struck a barrier and extinguished itself, landing just a few feet from police officers. Balat then obtained a second device from Kayumi, lit it, and dropped it on the west side of East End Avenue between East 86th and East 87th Streets, according to CBS Philadelphia.
The NYPD Bomb Squad quickly determined that at least one of the devices was a genuine improvised explosive device capable of causing serious injury or death — not a hoax device or smoke bomb. The FBI and NYPD subsequently confirmed that both items thrown were IEDs, according to CBS News.
Commissioner Tisch described the devices as slightly smaller than a football, appearing to be a jar wrapped in tape containing nuts, bolts, and screws with a hobby fuse that could be lit. CBS News law enforcement sources provided additional detail, describing a sports drink bottle filled or partially filled with explosive material placed inside glass jars surrounded by fragmentation, with a fuse connected to an M80-type firework.
Perhaps most alarming, preliminary inspection results indicated the first device appeared to have been made with TATP, an extraordinarily powerful and unstable explosive commonly associated with terrorist attacks, multiple law enforcement officials told CNN. The devices have been sent to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for additional analysis.
Mayor Mamdani clarified Monday that he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were not inside Gracie Mansion at the time of the attack, correcting earlier reports. Mayor Mamdani clarified Monday that while there were earlier reports about his whereabouts, the NYPD confirmed he was inside Gracie Mansion at the time of the incident, NBC News reported.
The investigation has drawn the full weight of federal law enforcement. The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, the NYPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York are all involved in the probe. Meanwhile, investigators also examined a third device found in a vehicle a few blocks south of Gracie Mansion, though Commissioner Tisch said that device tested negative for explosive material.
Details about the suspects’ backgrounds have begun to emerge. Balat is a student in the Neshaminy School District, while Kayumi is a 2024 graduate of Council Rock High School North, as confirmed by officials from those schools, according to CBS Philadelphia. Both hail from Bucks County communities approximately 75 miles from New York City.
The attack has rattled a city already on edge. Six people in total were placed into custody in connection with the dueling protests, NBC New York reported.
As the investigation continues, federal and city officials have not yet announced formal charges. The FBI laboratory analysis from Quantico is expected to provide critical evidence about the composition and lethality of the devices, findings that could shape the severity of any terrorism-related charges the suspects may face, as NPR noted.
