A large law enforcement presence was seen Sunday afternoon at the home of one of the two Pennsylvania men who were arrested after explosive devices were ignited outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence the day prior, when protesters clashed.
The FBI launched a terrorism investigation after the explosive devices were ignited, allegedly by a counter-protester.
Emir Balat, 18, and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, who are both from Pennsylvania, were arrested after the protest but have yet to be charged.
On Saturday, an anti-Islam protest near Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor’s official residence, was organized by people associated with Jake Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter and far-right influencer, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch. A group of more than 100 people also gathered at the same location for a counterprotest called “Run the Nazis Out of New York City/Stand Against Hate.”
According to Tisch, Balat lit and threw an ignited device toward protesters. Witnesses told police they saw flames and smoke as the device traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers.
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In a video from the scene, a man appears to yell “Allahu Akbar” — or “God is Most Great” — just as Balat throws the device. The CBS News Confirmed Team verified the videos. It is not clear from the videos who was shouting the words.
Tisch said Balat then ran southbound and got a second device from Kayumi. Balat allegedly lit the device and ran with it before dropping it on the west side of East End Avenue between East 86th and East 87th streets.
Tisch said in a statement Sunday that one of the devices was determined not to be a “hoax device or a smoke bomb,” but instead it was “an improvised explosive device (IED) that could have caused serious injury or death.” Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News that a federal terrorism investigation is underway after the suspicious device was ignited.
Tisch told reporters that the devices were a bit smaller than a football and appeared to be a jar wrapped in tape with nuts, bolts and screws, along with a hobby fuse.
Law enforcement respond in Pennsylvania
A large law enforcement presence was seen around Balat’s address in Langhorne, Bucks County, Sunday. Officers wearing tactical gear had their guns drawn in the area of Durnam and Frosty Hollow roads. A spokesperson said Balat is a student in the Neshaminy School District.
CBS News Philadelphia 
The FBI announced on a megaphone, “This is the FBI, everybody come out,” and three people were seen exiting the home. Earlier, a woman who answered the door at Balat’s home declined to share any additional information.
Newtown Township police said they were assisting the FBI with an investigation Sunday afternoon. Residents might see a large law enforcement presence in the area of Stoopville Road and Clymer Street, police said.
The FBI confirmed to CBS News Philadelphia that it’s conducting “court authorized law enforcement activity” in the area but didn’t provide any other details about the investigation.
On Sunday, another suspicious device was found inside a vehicle on East End Avenue about three blocks south of the park where Gracie Mansion is located, the NYPD said. The discovery of the device prompted some evacuations of buildings in the area while the Bomb Squad assesses and removes the device.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken the lead on the investigation.
Philadelphia man charged after protesters clashed at NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence
A Philadelphia man was among the people charged after protesters clashed outside Mamdani’s residence Saturday, NYPD sources told CBS News.
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Ian McGinnis, 21, of Philadelphia, was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and possession of a noxious material (pepper spray).
NYPD sources told CBS News that McGinnis appeared to be a part of the initial protests called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.” He was allegedly captured on video using pepper spray on counter-protesters.
Three other people were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction charges.
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