politics
Two men were arrested for throwing homemade bombs near the New York City mayor’s home. Here’s what we know
Two Pennsylvania men on Saturday followed the route taken by thousands as they crossed the George Washington Bridge into New York City. But less than an hour later, their trajectory took a dark turn as they were arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home.
TL;DR
- Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, were arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest in New York City.
- The men claimed their actions were inspired by ISIS and were charged with terrorism-related offenses, including using a weapon of mass destruction.
- The protest involved a confrontation between an anti-Islam group organized by Jake Lang and counterprotesters.
- Two IEDs, described as approximately the size of a mason jar with fuses, were thrown; one tested positive for TATP.
- Both suspects are from Pennsylvania and had no prior criminal history.
- Authorities are investigating their ties to ISIS and searching a storage unit in Pennsylvania.
- NYC officials, including Mayor Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, condemned the attack, emphasizing the city's heightened state of alert.