Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has shared an update after two people were taken into custody after a pair of “suspicious devices” were ignited Saturday, March 7, during protests outside of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani. Tisch said in a post on X that it was not a hoax, and could have caused “serious injury or death.”
The incident took place during an anti-Islam demonstration led by conservative influencer Jake Lang and a counterprotest, according to NBC News. A bomb squad examined the devices, which were described as being smaller than a football. They looked like a jar wrapped in black tape with nuts, bolts, screws and a hobby fuse, Tisch said.
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The devices were thrown into the crowd during a clash between the two groups of protesters.
What Jessica Tisch said
In an X post, Tisch wrote, “The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb. It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death. Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device.”
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Emir Balat, 18, and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, who are both from Pennsylvania, were arrested in connection to the incident. However, they have yet to be charged.
“The NYPD is working on this investigation with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI through our Joint Terrorism Task Force,” Tisch said. “I want to again thank the brave members of the NYPD who ran towards the danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.”
The FBI launched a terrorism investigation after the incident, CBS News reported. Tisch said that she believes Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji were not home at the time. Mamdani spokesperson Joe Calvello confirmed that the couple was safe.