NYPD: 2 Muslims Hurled IEDs at Conservative Protesters
LIVE COVERAGE: Two Muslim men hurled improvised explosive devices at conservative protesters in New York City. The incident happened near Gracie Mansion, the residence of the mayor. The devices were jars wrapped in black tape packed with nuts, bolts, screws, and a fuse. Video shows one suspect handing it off before they were arrested. Click here to get my breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.
Emir Balat, 18, the counterprotester accused of throwing that device and another smoking projectile, and Ibrahim Nikk, 19, who is accused of supplying one of them, were arrested on Saturday, the police said. No explosions or injuries from the devices were reported.
The Muslims attacked a protest led by Jake Lang called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.”
In response, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim, condemned Lang and blamed him for the violence.
Mamdani called Mr. Lang a “white supremacist” whose protest was “rooted in bigotry and racism,” but he added that “what followed was even more disturbing.”
“The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are,” the mayor said.
The following is a statement from the NYPD:
NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb. It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death. Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device. Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested on scene yesterday and are in custody in connection with this matter. 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. I want to again thank the brave members of the NYPD who ran towards the danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.