A device thrown outside of Gracie Mansion on Saturday during dueling protests in New York City was confirmed to be an improvised explosive device, according to police.
Two men were taken into custody after at least one of two devices was ignited during an anti-Islam demonstration led by conservative influencer Jake Lang and a counterprotest outside the mansion, which serves as a residence for New York City’s mayor. It was unclear at the time what the devices were and whether they were a danger to the public.
An FBI spokesperson said that the two men detained in the case are in federal custody, where they are being interviewed by federal agents and the NYPD.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim, was inside the residence at the time of the incident.
An unexploded improvised explosive device in front of Gracie Mansion in New York City on Saturday.Charly Triballeau / AFP – Getty Images
“Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested on scene yesterday and are in custody in connection with this matter,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a post on X.
Further testing is being conducted on both devices, the commissioner said.
Officials are working with federal prosecutors on the investigation, Tisch said. It’s unclear whether charges have been filed against the men.
Mamdani thanked law enforcement officers who acted quickly and said in a statement Sunday that he was working closely with Tisch on the case.
He condemned the original event organized by Lang, whom he described as a white supremacist, as one rooted in bigotry. That type of hatred “has no place in New York City,” the mayor said.
“What followed was even more disturbing. 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,” Mamdani added.
The Lang-led protest outside of Gracie Mansion was called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer” and drew roughly 20 people, according to police. But the counterprotest drew roughly 125 demonstrators at its peak.
Both groups were separated into designated areas by police when the protests began at about 11 a.m. Saturday, but officials said that tensions escalated within an hour.
At 12:15 p.m., one protester from the Lang group fired pepper spray at counterprotesters and was arrested, according to Tisch. Then shortly after 12:30 p.m., Tisch said, an 18-year-old counterprotester “lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area.”
Both men detained in the case are from Pennsylvania, where law enforcement officials went to speak to relatives and contacts, sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News. Investigators are looking into whether the two men were inspired by ISIS, according to two sources.
Searches of both their homes and electronic devices are expected, two sources said.
NYPD’s bomb squad is responding to an area near Gracie Mansion where investigators believe the suspects had parked their car, according to three sources familiar with the matter. They said a search will be conducted to see if there are any additional explosives, describing it as a precaution.
The incident occurred halfway through the holy month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, in which Muslims all over the world fast from sunrise to sunset. It is meant to be a month of reflection and spiritual connection in commemoration of when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
