Another man ran into the counter-protesters’ pen, screaming and holding up a device with smoke emitting from it, which some feared to be an explosive. He was immediately tackled to the ground by police officers, piling on top of him.
Photo by Dean Moses
The NYPD confirmed on Sunday that two devices thrown into a crowd of protesters outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday were real, but duds, as the city caught a lucky break in a brush with terror.
The incident happened on March 7 during an Islamophobic far-right protest outside the official residence of New York City’s mayor. As counter protesters raged, police said two men ran up and hurled the dud bombs at the crowd and at the far-right provacateurs, led by pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionist Jake Lang.
Fortunately, the bombs did not explode. The NYPD confiscated them and had the Bomb Squad conduct an analysis. The two alleged bomb-chuckers — identified by police as Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi — were taken into custody; charges against them are still pending.
On Sunday, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch revealed that the bombs were real and had the potential to kill.
“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,” part of her statement read. “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. I want to again thank the brave members of theNYPD who ran towards the danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.”
The incident unfolded as Lang conducted a protest against the Big Apple’s Muslim community, drawing hundreds of fuming New Yorkers looking to rip him apart. Amidst the clashes and pepper spray, Balat and Kayumi hurled the bombs into the crowd, one of which landed feet from Lang.
“I mean, the bomb landed about the distance you are to me, about three feet in front of me, and I saw the fuse, it was smoking, and I thought my life was over right then and there,” Lang told amNewYork outside the United Nations on March 8, where he continued his anti-Muslim campaign.
Instead of taking any responsibility himself for the carnage, he pointed the finger of blame at Mayor Zohran Mamdani, for what Lang claimed was a failure to condemn the pair of potential bombers. But on Sunday, the mayor not only condemned both men but also Lang himself.
“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are. What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are,” Mamdani said. “I want to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe. Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day. My administration is closely monitoring the situation, and I remain in close contact with our Police Commissioner.”
Police are continuing to investigate any other connections Balat and Kayumi may have to terrorist groups. Late Sunday afternoon, members of the NYPD Bomb Squad and ESU were investigating the pair’s vehicle after it was discovered on 81 Street and East End Avenue, where they discovered some kind of device.
“In connection with the ongoing investigation into the improvised explosive device deployed yesterday, the NYPD has identified a suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street. NYPD officers have frozen the area around the vehicle and are conducting limited evacuations of buildings in the vicinity while the Bomb Squad assesses and removes the device,” the NYPD said in a statement.
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