PHILADELPHIA (AP/ KYW Newsradio) — Two teens from Bucks County were taken into custody after they allegedly threw improvised explosives into a crowd of anti-Islam protesters outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence, allegedly trying to create an attack bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
Far-right influencer Jake Lang was holding an anti-Islam protest outside the mayor's mansion on Saturday during Ramadan, while the mayor and his wife, who are Muslim, were inside.
The sparsely attended event drew a far larger group of counterdemonstrators, including one person who tossed a smoking object containing nuts, bolts, screws and a "hobby fuse" into the crowd, police said.
In a social media post, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department's bomb squad determined the object wasn't a hoax device or smoke bomb, but an "improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death."
The device extinguished itself steps from police officers, Tisch noted.
According to federal authorities, 18-year-old Emir Balat, of Langhorne, was the one who threw that IED (improvised explosive device). He is a senior at Neshaminy High School.
The device contained TATP, a highly volatile explosive known as "Mother of Satan," officials said. It is extremely sensitive to impact, friction and heat. TATP, officials said, has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade.
"It's really important to note that had these IEDs functioned the way the perpetrators allegedly wanted them to. They could have caused death, destruction, an extremely dangerous compound, an extremely dangerous place, deployed," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, Rebecca Weiner.
Immediately after throwing Device-1, Emir Balat ran to another location down the block and received a second explosive device ("Device-2") from Ibrahim Kayumi.United States Attorney
After throwing the first device, Tisch said Balat ran to grab another one from 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, who graduated from Council Rock High School North last year.
The second device was dropped and did not appear to ignite, the commissioner said.
Both men were arrested at the scene. Officials said they found bomb-making materials and a notebook planning an attack inside a car that was registered to a family member of Balat.
Tisch said police were working with federal prosecutors and the FBI on the case. The FBI said agents with the bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force were participating in the investigation.
"Kayumi said in recorded post-arrest statements that he had watched ISIS propaganda on his phone and that his actions that day were partly inspired by ISIS," Tisch said at a press conference in New York.
Tisch said Balat was equally radicalized. "After waiving his rights, he requested paper and wrote a message, declaring, in part, 'I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar! Emir B.'" "Kuffar" is an Arabic term that refers to "non-believers" or "infidels," and "Die in your rage" is a slogan used by ISIS.
Law enforcement officers asked Balat if he was familiar with the Boston Marathon bombing and if that was what he had hoped to accomplish. Balat responded, "No, even bigger. It was only three deaths."
"At this time, we do not have any information that connects this investigation to what's going on overseas in Iran."
The contents inside Device-1 after it was opened by law enforcementUnited States Attorney
They are charged with attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; transportation of explosive materials, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; and unlawful possession of destructive devices, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Neither has a criminal record.
"Violence at a protest is never acceptable," Mamdani said in a statement Sunday. "The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are."
A person associated with Lang's protest was also arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, assault and unlawful possession of a noxious matter after allegedly macing counterdemonstrators, police said.
Lang was previously charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes before receiving clemency as part of President Donald Trump's sweeping act of clemency for Jan. 6 defendants last year. He recently announced that he is running for U.S. Senate in Florida.
Earlier this year, Lang organized a rally in Minneapolis in support of Trump's immigration crackdown, drawing an angry crowd of counterprotesters that quickly chased him away.
In a statement, Council Rock School District said, "The safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority," adding there is no information indicating any threat or connection to Council Rock schools.
"Our schools will continue to operate as normal, and our established safety procedures remain in place. We encourage families to speak with their children if they have questions and to remind students to report any concerns to a trusted adult, counselor, or school administrator. Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting a safe school community," the district said.
