Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents conducted a search in the Pennsylvania homes of two individuals accused of being ISIS-inspired extremists who allegedly threw explosives during a violent protest near Gracie Mansion in New York City over the weekend.
The raids followed allegations that two teenagers threw homemade improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during clashes between right-wing demonstrators led by Jake Lang and his rally “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer” and counterprotesters.
The counterprotest, titled “Run the Nazis Out of New York City, Stand Against Hate,” began at around 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, and drew around 125 participants. By 12:15 p.m., members of Lang’s group reportedly used pepper spray on counterprotesters, escalating the situation.
According to NBC News, at 12:30 p.m., an 18-year-old counterprotester “lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The device emitted smoke as it traveled through the air, struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers.
On Sunday, March 8, the FBI Response Evidence team searched the Langhorne residences of the two accused teenagers — 19-year-old Ibraham Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat. Images from the raids showed agents collecting evidence, including what appeared to be computer components, from Balat’s Langhorne home.
“The FBI in New York remains fully engaged with the NYPD and other law enforcement partners, actively investigating the two devices thrown outside Gracie Mansion yesterday afternoon,” federal authorities said on X on March 8.
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The search confirmed the presence of IEDs. The Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) will now conduct interviews, review video footage, collect additional evidence and pursue all leads.
Another counterprotester took a second device from a 19-year-old man, ignited it, and dropped it a few streets away. Both individuals were taken into custody. A total of six people were arrested during the protests, including individuals involved with the devices, the pepper spray incident and other instances of disorderly conduct.
Police said the entire incident was captured on surveillance cameras. An IED is commonly referred to as a “homemade” bomb because it is constructed from repurposed materials. These devices are intended to cause casualties, destroy property or intimidate people.
IEDs can be triggered by remote control, pressure plates, or command wires. In this case, the makeshift bombs were reportedly placed in sports drink bottles filled with triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a volatile explosive often called the “Mother of Satan.”
The devices were wrapped in construction tape and thrown at Lang’s supporters during the rally outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence. Police immediately secured the devices, preventing a potentially deadly explosion.
“We do not yet know whether the devices were functional improvised explosive devices or hoax devices, because we don’t yet know if there was energetic material contained in them,” Tisch said.
Speaking to the media, Tisch assured that there were no casualties. Mamdani spokesperson Joe Calvello said that the mayor and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were safe. “Thankfully, the mayor and the first lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly,” Calvello added.
