New York police said Sunday that a device ignited and thrown during protests outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home over the weekend was an explosive that could have caused serious injury or death.
The device, a jar filled with nuts, bolts and screws and wrapped in black tape with a fuse, was thrown by a counter-protester Saturday outside Gracie Mansion, but it turned itself off before any explosion, according to a statement from New York Police Chief Jessica Tisch. Two people were in custody, Tisch said.
The device was one of two thrown during the protests, which were led by two opposing groups, according to police. The other device was still being investigated, Tisch said.
Far-right activist Jake Lang led a protest on Saturday outside Gracie Mansion – where Mamdani lives with his wife – against an alleged Islamic “takeover” of New York City and against public prayer by Muslims. Tisch said at a press conference Saturday that she did not believe Mamdani and his wife were home at the time.
In a statement on Sunday, Mamdani condemned Lang’s protest but said the violence that followed was more disturbing.
“Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” Mamdani said. “The attempt to use an explosive device and injure others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
Lang’s protest, which consisted of about 20 people, was countered by a much larger counter-protest of 125 people aimed at driving “Nazis” out of New York, Tisch said at a news conference Saturday. Police said Emir Balat, 18, was among counter-protesters before igniting and throwing the device.
The device rolled near police before turning itself off, Tisch said Saturday. Balat ran after throwing it and eventually ignited and dropped another device in the street, according to Tisch.
Balat and another man, whom police identified Sunday as Ibrahim Kayumi, were arrested at the scene, Tisch said. The NYPD is working with the FBI and the US Department of Justice on the investigation.
Tisch said Saturday that there was no immediate indication the incident was related to the U.S. strike on Iran, but that authorities were still investigating.
