An investigation has been launched after a bomb was hurled at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence during a protest on Saturday.
Two men, Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, have been charged with throwing the explosive at Gracie Mansion.
The pair were allegedly self-radicalised Islamists, with both travelling to well-known terror hubs across the globe, law enforcement insiders told the New York Post.
According to the sources, Mr Balat and Mr Kayumi both spent time in Turkey last year, with the 19-year-old also travelling to Saudi Arabia in 2024 and Melbourne, Australia in 2019.
After their arrests, the men are said to have admitted they were targeting right-wing protesters who they felt had mocked Islam, and that they had watched videos of Isis terrorists.
The bomb was filled with bottles of triacetone triperoxide, a substance referred to as “Mother of Satan” and a chemical of choice for many global terrorists due to its volatility.
It has been used in multiple attacks across Britain, France, Belgium and India in recent years.
But the IED failed to detonate during the demonstration of Saturday – which saw clashes between right-wing activists and counter-demonstrators on the streets of the Big Apple
PICTURED: Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18 on the streets of NYC – with the IED in hand
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GETTY
Mr Mamdani, however, raged at white supremacists in his city.
“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organised a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism,” he said.
“Such hate 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 disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable.
“The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
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The New York Police Department (NYPD) and the FBI have launched an investigation, with the teenagers’ homes in Pennsylvania homes being raided by officers, according to the sources.
The city’s Bomb Squad was deployed again on Sunday after another suspicious package was discovered in one of the suspect’s vehicles.
It was quickly removed and the Hyundai has been cleared without further incident.
The explosive thrown on Saturday has since been turned over to the FBI, who are said to be carrying out tests on the device at the agency’s HQ in Virginia.
Meanwhile, Republican congressman Randy Fine hit out at New York City’s mayor in the aftermath of the attempted attack.
The Florida representative wrote on social media: “The New York Post is reporting the Muslim terrorists who hurled bombs in New York are Isis. Isis. In America.
“But Mamdani and his fellow Democrats think we should be worried about Islamophobia.
“We SHOULD be afraid of Islam. We need to get these people the f out of our country.”
