The teen who helped hurl an ISIS bomb at a protest outside the New York City mayor’s mansion is the son of wealthy Afghan immigrants who were seemingly living the American dream.
Ibrahim Kayumi and his friend Emir Balat, 18, were indicted on five federal charges Monday including attempting to provide material support to ISIS and use of a weapon of mass destruction.
The pair were arrested on Saturday after throwing a homemade ‘Mother of Satan’ bomb outside Gracie Mansion during an anti-Islam protest. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji were not home at the time of the attack.
Kayumi, 19, asserted that he was affiliated with the Islamic State and pledged his allegiance to the terror group as he was taken into police custody, the complaint said.
But the Daily Mail can now reveal Kayumi comes from a seemingly hardworking family that co-owns a Popeyes chicken franchise and amassed a residential property portfolio worth more than $4.2 million, county records show.
He grew up in the small, wealthy Philadelphia suburb of Newtown and most recently lived in a $2.25 million mansion with his father Khayer and mother Shaysta. The home was raided by the FBI on Sunday but there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his parents’ part.
Khayer Kayumi, 50, owns five other homes across Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which he appears to rent out, county property records showed.
In January, the businessman sued his Popeyes partner Shaima Ghafary, 48, for alleged fraud, breach of contract, and shareholder oppression.
Ibrahim Kayumi, an American citizen, appears to have spent his entire life in the US. He graduated from Newtown’s Council Rock High School North in 2024
Ibrahim Kayumi (front) and Emir Balat (back) in federal custody leaving the NYPD’s 26th Precinct stationhouse in NYC on Monday. They were indicted on five federal charges including attempting to provide material support to ISIS and use of a weapon of mass destruction
Khayer and Shaysta Kayumi own a $2.25 million mansion in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Their son Ibrahim lives with them in the sprawling 5,800-square-foot estate
Khayer and Shaysta, 46, are from Afghanistan and became naturalized US citizens in 2004 and 2009.
It is unclear when they first immigrated to the states, but Khayer was issued a Social Security number in New York in the early 1990s, according to public records.
Kayumi, also an American citizen, appears to have spent his entire life in the US. He graduated from Newtown’s Council Rock High School North in 2024.
The family rented apartments across Queens, New York before relocating to Bucks County in 2005, property records showed.
Khayer and Shaysta purchased their first Pennsylvania home in 2004 for $325,600. The 3,100 square foot single-family residence is now worth $587,300.
The couple listed the picturesque four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath suburban home for rent 45 days ago, according to an active Zillow posting. They are asking potential tenants to pay $4,500 per month.
Over the past two decades, Khayer has bought and sold multiple townhouses in Newtown and nearby Bensalem. Bucks County Auditor Office records show he currently owns four condo-style units worth a combined $1.3 million.
He also invested in a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchise and became the 30 percent equity shareholder of the fast food chain’s Stroudsburg location.
Khayer Kayumi, pictured, co-owns a Popeyes chicken franchise and has amassed a residential property portfolio worth more than $4.2 million, the Daily Mail can now reveal
Khayer Kayumi is the 30 percent equity shareholder of the fast food chain’s Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania franchise location
Khayer’s civil lawsuit does not state exactly when he acquired his share of the restaurant, but Ghafary’s LinkedIn profile notes that she has owned the franchise since June 2011.
Ghafary controls all operations, finances and documentation of financial data at the franchise, according to the complaint.
He has accused Ghafary, who has a 70 percent stake in the franchise, of failing to pay him more than $250,000 in income earned from the restaurant, the suit said.
Khayer alleges that she has withheld information about the restaurant’s expenditures and payments, failed to pay him mandated partnership distributions and skimmed his earnings by falsifying profit and loss statements.
He is demanding that Ghafary disclose all assets, income, expenses, and financial statements pertaining to the business, the filing revealed.
He is also seeking recovery of all financial losses suffered by her alleged conduct and compensation for damages, as well as legal fees.
Ghafary has not yet retained an attorney, court records show. The complaint was only served on her last week after a failed attempt in February.
The Kayumi family appears to be heavily involved with the Popeyes franchise. Both Khayer and Shaysta are managers at the restaurant, according to their social media profiles.
Khayer sued his Popeyes partner Shaima Ghafary, 48, (pictured) for alleged fraud, breach of contract, and shareholder oppression in January this year
Khayer and his wife Shaysta, 46, are from Afghanistan and became naturalized US citizens in 2004 and 2009. It is unclear when they first immigrated to the states, but Khayer was issued a Social Security number in New York in the early 1990s
The Kayumi family home was raided by FBI agents on Sunday after 19-year-old Ibahim was arrested over the alleged ISIS-inspired attack
Their 25-year-old son Mohammad has worked at Popeyes since 2015, his LinkedIn profile states. He started as a cashier and has since worked his way up to assistant manager.
The couple previously operated a Popeyes franchise in Brooklyn, New York. They purchased the restaurant for $160,000 in January 2010, according to a state tax appeal petition.
Khayer provided an $80,000 down payment for the purchase, which the seller was meant to apply to the more than $200,000 that the owner owed the New York State Sales Tax Department.
The seller assumed responsibility for the tax debt, but failed to pay it, the petition alleged.
Bank of America took possession of the restaurant in 2013 due to an unpaid debt that the original seller had with the bank, the filing stated.
Popeyes, the Kayumis and Khayer’s attorney did not respond to the Daily Mail’s requests for comment.
Kayumi and Balat traveled together to New York City on Saturday to carry out the attack near Gracie Mansion in Manhattan, officials said.
The pair joined a throng of counterprotesters at a small, anti-Islam rally organized by the far-right Christian nationalist Jake Lang, a federal indictment said.
Khayer and Shaysta Kayumi purchased their first Pennsylvania home in 2004 for $325,600. The 3,100 square foot single-family residence, pictured, is now worth $587,300. They are trying to rent the home out for $4,500 per month
Over the past two decades, Khayer has bought and sold multiple townhouses in Newtown and nearby Bensalem, including this $330,160 home on Bryan Ct. Bucks County Auditor Office records show he currently owns four condo-style units worth a combined $1.3 million
Emir Balat hands Ibrahim Kayumi a homemade explosive device during a protest organized by far-right influencer Jake Lang against alleged ‘Islamification’ and to ask for a ‘stop of public Muslim prayer’ in New York in front of Gracie Mansion on Saturday
The pair were arrested Saturday after a homemade ‘Mother of Satan’ bomb, pictured above, was thrown outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s house
The device contained explosive triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and an exterior layer of duct-taped nuts and bolts, and a hobby fuse that was reportedly connected to an M80-type firework
Balat hurled a homemade bomb, smoking with a lit fuse, that was later found to contain the explosive TATP at the crowd. The device, which also contained nuts and bolts, extinguished itself without harming anyone.
Balat then ran down the block and collected a second, similar device from Kayumi and dropped it near some police officers. He tried to run away, but was tackled and arrested, the complaint said.
After Balat was arrested, police officers asked him whether he was aiming to accomplish something akin to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people.
‘No, even bigger,’ Balat replied, according to the criminal complaint.
Kayumi, while in NYPD custody, told investigators: ‘All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegience [sic] to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar!’
‘This isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet… We take action!’ he added, according to the complaint.
Balat and Kayumi were being held without bail after their court appearance. They were not required to enter a plea.
Much remains unknown about the motives, planning and relationship between the two young men accused of carrying out the attack.
Emir Balat, 18, is pictured allegedly lighting and dropping an explosive at a counter-protest against an anti-Muslim demonstration organized by far-right influencer Jake Lang
Balat is pictured fleeing after dropping the improvised explosive near police officers. Police initially were unsure if the device was an imitation or a real bomb
Ibrahim Kayumi, who is also understood to have been radicalized by ISIS, was in Istanbul for multiple weeks in July and August 2024. He also went to Saudi Arabia in March that same year. Kayumi is pictured during his arrest in NYC on Saturday
Emir Balat, left, and Ibrahim Kayumi, far right, were charged on Monday with attempting to provide material support to ISIS, use of a weapon of mass destruction, and other crimes. The pair were being held without bail after their court appearance
Khayer and his family were unaware that Kayumi had been planning the attack, the New York Times reported. They panicked and started looking for him after he failed to come home on Saturday afternoon.
‘If he’s going to be five minutes late, he calls,’ Khayer told the newspaper. ‘We didn’t know what was going on.’
FBI agents raided Khayer’s sprawling 5,800-square-foot Newtown mansion, which boasts six bedrooms and five bathrooms, on Sunday. Khayer told the Times that his family has spoken to police, but declined to comment further on the investigation.
Court documents show Emir Balat’s father, Selahattin Balat, is a native of Turkey who was granted asylum in the United States in 1998 and later became a US citizen.
In a 2009 bankruptcy filing, he listed his occupation as painter and said he had three children. Balat’s family home in Langhorne was also searched by police.
Emir Balat is a senior at Neshaminy High School. A school spokesperson said he enrolled in a virtual program in September and had not attended in-person classes since.
His lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said his client had ‘complicated stuff going on’ in his personal life, without elaborating. Essmidi said he did not believe the two young men had known each other for long.
Emir Balat is pictured throwing a homemade explosive device outside the New York City mayor’s mansion on Saturday afternoon
Balat’s parents were born in Turkey and became naturalized US citizens in 2017. The 18-year-old is a US citizen and neighbors confirmed he lives with his family in their $653,000 home in Langhorne, Pennsylvania
Ibrahim Kayumi and Emir Balat sit before a federal judge on Monday while they are charged with five federal crimes. They were not required to enter a plea
Investigators are looking into the pair’s overseas travel history to what they have described as known ‘terror training grounds.’
Kayumi was in Istanbul for multiple weeks in July and August 2024. He also went to Saudi Arabia in March that same year.
Balat also traveled to Turkey multiple times in the past year, with his most recent trip having occurred in January.
He previously visited the country from May 6 to August 26 last year.
Khayer Kayumi purchased a duplex on Senator Ln in October 2021. He co-owns the residence, which as of January 2025 is worth $392,380, county records show
Khayer Kayumi owns a unit in a condominium complex on Lafayette Gardens in Bensalem. His unit was valued at $392,380 by Bucks County Auditor Office
Khayer Kayumi owns this $261,590 condo on Arrowood Dr in Bensalem. He purchased the residence in March 2021
First Appeared on
Source link
Leave feedback about this