As we reported, two men threw “improvised explosive devices” during protests Saturday outside Gracie Mansion, the official New York City home of democrat socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. A third device was found in a nearby vehicle.
Although one device emitted smoke, none of them managed to detonate. These bombs were no joke, however; they were packed with nuts, bolts, and screws and could have caused some serious bloodshed if they’d worked as intended.
Now, the New York City Police Department is saying it was likely an ISIS-inspired act of terrorism, and is being investigated as such. There are several definitions for the transnational jihad movement known as ISIS, the most common being "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria."
🚨🚨🚨JUST NOW Commissioner Jessica Tisch says she is limited in what she can say but says the suspects EMIR BALAT AND IBRAHIM KAYUMI will be charged in federal court and the case is being investigated as an act of ISIS- inspired terrorism https://t.co/9CM8xp1bj7
— CB Cotton (@CB_Cotton) March 9, 2026
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said she was limited in what information she could divulge, but would have more details later Monday. She spoke with Mamdani at a press conference outside Gracie Mansion. The two teens arrested as suspects in the attack, Pennsylvania residents Emir Balat (18) and Ibrahim Kayumi (19), could be facing some very serious charges for their sick plot:
A New York Police Department source told Fox News that devices hurled into the crowd were packed with nuts, bolts and screws, and contained a chemical substance inside a taped canister fitted with a fuse.
Balat and Kayumi, who were arrested on Saturday, remained in custody as federal teams searched their homes in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, according to federal sources.
Investigators also executed a warrant at a related address in New Jersey.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirms the Islamic attack on NYC this Saturday is being investigated as an act of “ISIS-inspired terrorism.” She adds that the devices used were IEDs and not hoaxes.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 9, 2026
Yet Mayor Mamdani started this press conference blaming white supremacy. pic.twitter.com/aQILHDk2ha
As usual, the mainstream media and Mamdani have been trying to paint the attack as anything other than what it appears to be: another radical Islamist terror plot.
MORE: Violent IED Attack at NYC Protest Gets the Media Treatment: Blame the Protest, Protect the Narrative
More Troubling Info About IED and Suspects at NYC Protest as Mamdani Issues Disgraceful Statement
The teen duo, however, made their extremism clear, but it’s unknown how deep their terror ties run.
Sources said the two suspects, Balat and Kayumi, allegedly made pro-ISIS statements while in custody.
Investigators are also examining their past travel, including trips to Turkey and potentially other locations known as terror training grounds.
The FBI has also launched a probe into the attack.
Mayor Mamdani’s statement:
— Nima Ebadi (@nmebadi) March 8, 2026
— Names Jake Lang by name
— Calls a TATP shrapnel bomb an ‘explosive device’
— Doesn’t name the two suspects: Ibrahim Nick and Amir Balat
— Doesn’t use the word ‘terrorism’
TATP is the same substance used by Al Qaeda and ISIS.
This was a terrorist… https://t.co/CbyFKtt5dK pic.twitter.com/BtW3ff0CQB
This was a terrorist attack on New York City.
Say it, Mayor.
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