A device thrown outside the official residence of New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani during dueling protests on Saturday, March 7, was confirmed to be an improvised explosive device, according to preliminary analysis by police.
Two people were taken into custody after New York City police say they tried to ignite a suspicious homemade device during a “Stop Islamic Takeover of New York City” rally led by 30-year-old far-right conservative influencer Jake Lang. Police said the event attracted a large number of counter-protesters, and one demonstrator threw an incendiary device at Lang’s area.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement on social media that preliminary analysis by the department’s bomb squad determined the device was not a hoax or a smoke grenade, but rather “an improvised explosive device capable of causing serious injury or death.” She added that further tests would be carried out, including on a second device that fell during the crash.
“Sheikh Barat and Ibrahim Qayumi were arrested at the scene yesterday and are being held in connection with this matter,” Tisch said in a statement on Sunday, March 8.
Police said charges against the two counter-protesters are still pending. Tisch said police are working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the case.
What happened during the protest outside Gracie’s mansion?
New York City police officers had already arrived at the scene around 11 a.m. local time in preparation for a demonstration planned near Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence. About 20 people gathered in the area for the “Stop Islamic Takeover of New York City” rally, Tisch said.
The incident sparked a massive counter-demonstration dubbed “Get the Nazis Out of New York City,” attended by about 125 people, Tisch said. Police separated the two groups, but tensions began to rise just before noon.
At around 12:15 p.m. local time, police arrested a person in Lang’s area for allegedly using pepper spray against counter-protesters, Tisch said. Police have not publicly identified the person.
Tisch said that around 12:38 p.m., a counter-protester named Barratt, 18, lit an ignition device and threw it toward Lang’s area. The device fell into a crosswalk, hit a fence and was extinguished several feet away from police.
Tisch said Barratt then fled and allegedly recovered a second device from another man who identified himself as Kayumi, 19. Barratt started running with a second device, but dropped it, she added.
The two were taken into custody and the NYPD bomb squad recovered two devices, both of which were slightly smaller than a soccer ball, Tisch said. Police said no injuries or property damage were reported in the incident.
Based on preliminary examinations and X-ray images, the devices appeared to be jars wrapped in black tape and filled with nuts, bolts and screws, Tisch said. The bottle also had a hobby fuse that could be lit.
Report: Federal agents conducting terrorism investigation
Law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation told CBS News that the two people detained, both from Pennsylvania, brought homemade devices to the protests with the intent to cause harm.
The device was made of a sports drink bottle, filled or partially filled with explosives, placed inside a glass bottle and surrounded by nuts and bolts, the news agency reported, citing sources. The fuse was apparently connected to an M80 type firework, according to CBS News.
Search warrants will be executed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, sources told the news agency. Investigators were also working to determine whether the suspects were inspired by messages from ISIS militants.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation, the news agency said, adding that terrorism charges are pending in the case.
Mamdani: Protest in front of Gracie House ‘rooted in bigotry and racism’
Following the protests, Tisch said there was no indication the incident was related to the Iran war, but said the investigation was ongoing. The incident occurred during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.
Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, condemned the incident in a statement on March 8, saying city officials were “closely monitoring” the situation. New York City Hall spokesman Joe Calvello earlier confirmed that Mamdani and New York City First Lady Rama Dowaj were safe and called the Lang-led rally “despicable and Islamophobic.”
“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest rooted in bigotry and racism outside Gracie Mansion,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That kind of hatred has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.”
“What followed was even more worrying. Violence at protests is never acceptable,” he added. “Attempts to use explosives to harm others are not only crimes, they are reprehensible and go against who we are.”
Lang was pardoned by President Donald Trump after returning to the White House last year, along with about 1,600 other people charged with responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Federal prosecutors have accused Lang of assaulting police officers at the Capitol using an aluminum baseball bat and a riot shield. Mr. Lang recently announced that he is running in the Republican primary for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat.
Contributor: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY
