Two Men Charged in ISIS-Inspired Attack Near NYC Mayor's Residence

Two Pennsylvania men who hurled homemade explosive devices outside New York City's mayoral mansion Saturday told authorities they were inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, according to a federal court complaint.

Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, are awaiting arraignment Monday on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. As he was arrested, Kayumi blurted out that "ISIS" was the reason for his conduct, the complaint said. Balat later told authorities he had pledged allegiance to the extremist group. When officers asked Balat whether he aimed to accomplish something comparable to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing—which killed three people and wounded hundreds—Balat replied, "No, even bigger," according to the complaint.

Jake Lang, a far-right activist charged with assaulting a Capitol Police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and later freed under President Donald Trump's clemency order, organized the protest the suspects targeted. Lang recently announced he is running for U.S. Senate in Florida. He led an anti-Islam demonstration outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, that drew a larger group of counterprotesters. Among them, authorities say, Balat and Kayumi concealed themselves before throwing the devices.

The homemade devices, which did not explode, were tossed into the crowd during what New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described as a chaotic scene. A search of the suspects' vehicle—discovered Sunday near their arrest site—turned up a hobby fuse, a metal can and a written list of chemical ingredients for building explosives, according to the complaint. An automated license plate reader captured the men entering New York City from New Jersey less than an hour before the attack. Tisch said there are no indications the suspects' alleged activities were connected to the ongoing war in Iran. Mayor Mamdani, a Democrat and the first Muslim to hold the office, said the two men "traveled from Pennsylvania and attempted to bring violence to New York City." He and his wife were not at Gracie Mansion at the time.

Federal investigations were underway Monday at two locations in northeastern Pennsylvania. Lang's candidacy for Florida's U.S. Senate seat means the case is likely to draw scrutiny in Florida's 2026 political landscape as well.

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