Suspected explosive devices thrown during NYC protests near mayor’s home: police

Dramatic video captured New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers subduing an 18-year-old counterprotester accused of lighting and throwing a suspected explosive device during dueling demonstrations on Saturday just steps away from Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, friction began to escalate late Saturday morning when two separate protests gathered near East End Boulevard and East 87th Street.

The first protest, called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City: Stop Public Muslim Prayer in New York City,” was organized by individuals affiliated with the pardoned rioter on January 6. jake langand approximately 20 participants attended.

A counter-protest titled “Kick the Nazis out of New York: Stand Up to Hate” took place nearby and peaked at about 125 participants.

Although NYPD officers separated the groups into designated protest areas, tensions rose shortly before noon and a protester associated with Lang used pepper spray against counterprotesters, Tisch said.

Tisch said there was “a period of time” between the pepper spray incident and the arrest as officers at the scene investigated.

About 30 minutes later, authorities said a counterprotester, identified as 18-year-old Emir Balat, fired a “fire device” toward the protest site and landed in the crosswalk between East 87th Street and East End Avenue.

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Far-right activist Jake Lang leads a rally to stop public Muslim prayers in New York City on Saturday. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke billowing through the air before hitting a barrier and extinguishing itself a few meters away from police officers.

Balat ran south on East End Boulevard toward 86th Street and took a second device from a 19-year-old man identified as Ibrahim Nikk, according to Tisch. He then lit the second device and started running.

Authorities said Balat dropped the second device on the west side of East End Boulevard, between East 86th and East 87th streets, after which officers detained Balat and Nikk.

In the video, police can be seen detaining Balat as he presses his face into the pavement and shouts profanities and words in another language.

Three more people were arrested in protests related to disorderly conduct and obstruction of traffic, according to Tisch.

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A man was detained by police officers during a rally near Gracie Mansion in New York on Saturday. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

Bomb disposal squads responding to the incident examined the devices, which were slightly smaller than a football, and saw that they appeared to be jars wrapped in black tape.

Using x-rays, authorities determined the devices contained a hobby fuse that could be ignited along with nuts, bolts and screws often used as improvised shrapnel in homemade explosives.

“We don’t yet know whether the devices are functional IEDs or fake devices, because we don’t yet know if there is energetic material inside them,” Tisch said. he said.

Officers continue to conduct manual and K-9 sweeps of surrounding blocks, examining trash cans, vehicles and other locations where additional devices could potentially be hidden. No additional devices were found as of Saturday evening.

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A man threw an improvised explosive device during a rally on Saturday. (Reuters/Eduardo Munoz)

Both recovered devices were transferred to a containment container by the bomb squad for further testing and analysis, Tisch said.

Tisch stated that he believes Mamdani and her family were not home at the time of the incident.

“I am in regular communication with Mayor Mamdani today about the situation,” he said. “As of now there is no indication that this is related to ongoing hostilities in Iran, but the investigation is still ongoing given the increased threat environment.”

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The commissioner also thanked the responding officers for “running towards danger while everyone else was running.”

“Let me be clear: This happened today. The officers, many of whom are here with me, ran toward a man carrying a suspicious device that had been discharged,” Tisch said. “They place the safety of others and their sworn duty to protect and serve above their own personal safety, and I am grateful that there were no injuries related to the incident today. Today, as always, I thank our police for their noble service.”

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