New York City police have confirmed that a device thrown during heated demonstrations outside the official residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday constituted a functional improvised explosive device (IED) capable of inflicting severe casualties. The NYPD Bomb Squad’s preliminary analysis determined the ignited device was neither a hoax nor a smoke bomb, but a dangerous explosive containing nuts, bolts, and screws designed to maximize harm.
The incident occurred during dueling protests organized by far-right influencer Jake Lang, who rallied approximately twenty supporters against public Muslim prayer and alleged ‘Islamification,’ and a larger counter-protest of about 125 individuals. According to eyewitness accounts from AFP correspondents, a man identified as Emir Balat was handed a smoking, tape-wrapped device by another individual, Ibrahim Kayumi, before hurling it near police lines and Lang’s group. Witnesses reported observing flames and smoke as the object traveled through the air. Balat was heard shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ during the act.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated the device ‘could have caused serious injury or death.’ Both Balat and Kayumi were arrested at the scene and remain in custody. The investigation, now led by counter-terrorism detectives in collaboration with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York through the Joint Terrorism Task Force, is ongoing. Commissioner Tisch clarified there is no current indication linking the event to the ongoing hostilities in Iran. Follow-up operations included a bomb squad robot inspecting a vehicle near the scene on Sunday.