Two of the men who were arrested Saturday after attempting to throw improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at conservative demonstrators outside Gracie Mansion in Manhattan are allegedly linked to ISIS, authorities said.
The bombs, containing the highly unstable explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP), failed to detonate, averting what could have been a deadly incident.
The suspects, 19-year-old Ibraham Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat, both from Pennsylvania, were taken into custody at the scene.
Law enforcement officials reported that Balat spent over three months in Istanbul last year, while Kayumi traveled to Istanbul, Saudi Arabia, and Melbourne, Australia, between 2019 and 2024, where both reportedly received terrorist training, according to the New York Post.
Authorities said the two men admitted consuming ISIS propaganda and targeting right-wing demonstrators in retaliation for perceived insults to their faith.
The devices were reportedly made from sports drink bottles filled with TATP, a volatile compound favored in several international terror attacks due to its instability and the ease of assembling it from common household chemicals.
The demonstration was organized by conservative activist Jake Lang and roughly 20 supporters, who were protesting what they described as public Muslim prayers taking over city streets.
Counterprotesters, numbering over 100, clashed with Lang’s group, including incidents involving egg-throwing and pepper spray.
During the confrontation, one of the devices was lit and thrown at Lang’s supporters but did not explode.
NYPD Bomb Squad officers quickly secured it. A second device was later found in a vehicle linked to the suspects and was sent for further examination, according to The Guardian.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the devices were genuine IEDs.
“It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death,” she said, highlighting the potential danger and praising officers for their swift action.
The FBI has since joined the investigation, and both men are expected to face federal charges.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the attack while commending law enforcement for containing the threat.
“Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible,” he said, without commenting on the counterprotesters’ involvement in the plot.
Authorities also charged Ian McGinnis, a protester associated with Lang’s group, with assault and reckless endangerment for pepper-spraying counterprotesters.
In total, six arrests were made during the event for explosives, assault, and disorderly conduct.
Experts note that TATP is highly sensitive to friction, heat, and shock, making it particularly hazardous for those inexperienced in handling explosives.
Previous attacks using TATP have resulted in fatalities in countries including France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and India.
Quick police intervention prevented casualties in this case, The Post noted.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Devices are undergoing additional testing at the FBI’s Quantico laboratory, and search warrants have been executed at the suspects’ Pennsylvania homes.
Federal authorities are treating the incident as ISIS-inspired terrorism, highlighting the continuing domestic threat posed by individuals radicalized abroad.
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