Explosive thrown at NYC demonstration investigated as terrorism

A counterprotester threw an improvised explosive device packed with nuts and bolts at an anti-Islam demonstration in New York City on Saturday. The incident is being investigated as ISIS-inspired terrorism, police commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a Monday morning news conference. Police arrested two people for their alleged connection to the incident, and charges were still pending as of Monday morning. Suspects Ibrahim Nikk and Emir Balat traveled from Pennsylvania in an attempt to bring violence to the city, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during the news conference.

The pair was allegedly demonstrating against the “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” event led by Jake Lang, a right-wing provocateur. The event was held outside Gracie Mansion, the Manhattan residence of Mamdani, Tisch said in an earlier statement.

What exactly happened during the demonstrations? Around midday Saturday, an individual associated with Lang shot pepper spray into the counterprotesting crowd, Tisch said. Shortly afterward, a counterprotester threw an ignited device toward the protest area, she said. The device contained nuts, bolts, screws, and triacetone triperoxide and could have caused serious injury or death, Tisch said. The same person then received but dropped a second similar device from another person. Another suspicious device was found Sunday three blocks south of Gracie Mansion, police said. The bomb squad assessed and removed that device.

Police arrested four others Saturday for the use of pepper spray and disorderly conduct. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was working with New York police to investigate the incident.

The Lang-led protest had around 20 participants while the counterprotest, “Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate,” drew 125 people at its peak, Tisch said. Lang has regularly led anti-Islam demonstrations across the country. Additionally, President Donald Trump previously pardoned Lang for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots.

What else has Mayor Mamdani said? Mamdani was not at home during the incident, he said during Monday’s news conference. Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor, said in a statement on social media that the demonstration Saturday was rooted in bigotry and racism. He also called the attempted use of an explosive disturbing and reprehensible.

Dig deeper: Read my report on an anti-Islam demonstration in Michigan led by Lang.