2 arrested after explosive device thrown at NYC Mayor Mamdani protest

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Two men detained after an improvised explosive device was thrown outside Gracie Mansion.
Far-right demonstrators clashed with counterprotesters, prompting FBI investigation.

Two men were arrested after an “improvised explosive device” was thrown during a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home, the NYPD confirmed Sunday.

The incident occurred Saturday at Gracie Mansion, where far-right, anti-Muslim demonstrators led by activist Jake Lang confronted counterprotesters. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said preliminary analysis confirmed the device was capable of causing serious injury or death and was not a hoax or smoke bomb. A second device left near the scene is also under investigation.

The arrested men, identified as Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, were taken into custody at the scene. Police said Balat, among counterprotesters, threw the device at a barrier and later dropped a second device in the street while fleeing. Both devices contained nuts, bolts, screws, and a “hobby fuse.” The FBI has joined the investigation.

Mayor Mamdani condemned the violence, stating: “Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are”.

Lang, a far-right activist previously arrested for storming the US Capitol and later pardoned by former President Donald Trump, organized the demonstration in opposition to what he called the “Islamification” of New York City. Mamdani described Lang as a “white supremacist” and emphasized that such hate has no place in the city, which is home to an estimated 1 million Muslims.