Social media slams CNN’s post about suspects charged in NYC bombing attempt

CNN is facing backlash on social media over a post on X that was deleted Tuesday about two “Pennsylvania teens” accused of throwing a bomb at a protest near New York City’s Gracie Mansion on Saturday.

“Two Pennsylvania teenagers crossed into New York City on Saturday morning for what would have been a normal day enjoying the city in abnormally warm weather,” the post read. it said. “But in less than an hour, their lives will change dramatically when the duo is arrested for throwing a homemade bomb during an anti-Muslim protest outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home. Here’s what we know so far.”

The suspects, 18-year-old Emir Balat of Langhorne and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi of Newtown, were traveling from Bucks County to Manhattan on Saturday when police said they fired and threw explosives into a protest crowd in front of the mayor’s office. Zohran Mamdani‘s residence.

Federal prosecutors charged the suspects with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and using weapons of mass destruction.

The post has now been deleted. CNN followed this Explanation about X: “A post about two people arrested for throwing a homemade bomb outside the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani failed to convey the seriousness of the incident and violated the editorial standards required for all journalism. It was therefore deleted.”

Social media users were quick to call out CNN’s “bizarre” framing of the incident; CNN did not mention the words “terrorism” or “terrorist” anywhere in its post.

Examiner columnist Tim Carney wrote of X: “This is the weirdest framing.” “Major left-leaning publications hate this story, but they know they can’t ignore it, so they go for weird twists.”

Daniel Sugarman, deputy editor of Jewish News UK, stated that the post would have been “extremely strange” even if it had been published on the day the attack occurred, but “given everything we know about these attacks now”. [two] “The people and their motives are a journalistic error.”

“Wow. ISIS-inspired perpetrators are committing a literal act of terrorism, and this is what CNN has uncovered?” questioned media watchdog group HonestReporting. “Ah, the poor ‘Pennsylvania teenagers’ whose lives were ‘drastically changed’ because they consciously decided to drop a bomb. When will the media stop using narrative storytelling to infantilize the perpetrators of ideologically motivated crimes?”

“Who writes this nonsense?” Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., wrote of X: “They are radical Islamic terrorists.”

Journalist Scot Bertram quipped, rewriting the post to reflect the events of September 11, 2001: “Nineteen men arrived at East Coast airports on Tuesday morning for what would have been a normal day enjoying a cross-country flight. But in less than an hour their lives would change dramatically.”

RedState writer Bonchie said CNN called “these Islamists [seem] Like misguided victims.”

“I really don’t understand this framing by CNN,” News2Share editor-in-chief Ford Fischer wrote. “Can’t anyone who does something life-changing have a ‘normal day’ if they don’t do that thing?”

“Man, you gotta hate when two teenagers who were supposed to be enjoying the warm weather had their lives drastically changed because they accidentally brought in a homemade bomb that could kill multiple people,” Barstool Sports content creator Jack Mac quipped. “Oops! I did some terror! I can’t believe my life has changed!”

When reached for comment on the now-deleted post, CNN referred Fox News Digital to its new statement about X.

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Greg Wehner and CB Cotton contributed to this report.