Six people were arrested on charges of throwing smoking projectiles filled with bolts and screws outside the New York residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani during an anti-Muslim protest on Saturday. Mamdani and his family, who were in Gracie Mansion, at the time of the attack, are safe.
Six people were arrested on charges of throwing smoking projectiles filled with bolts and screws outside the New York residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani during an anti-Muslim protest on Saturday. Mamdani and his family, who were in Gracie Mansion, at the time of the attack, are safe.
According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), the “suspicious” devices were ignited during a confrontation between a small anti-Islam protest and a larger counter-protest. The demonstration opposing Muslim prayer in public spaces was organised by individuals linked to Jake Lang, a pardoned January 6 rioter and far-right influencer, CBS News reported. Police suspected that the incident was an assassination attempt on Mamdani, but later denied it and said it had no link to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war.
A viral video from the spot shows one suspect handing the device to another shortly before police moved in and made the arrests outside Mamdani’s residence.
New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch said around 20 people attended the anti-Islam protest, which began around 11 am near East End Avenue and East 87th Street. A counter-protest titled “Run the Nazis Out of New York City/Stand Against Hate” drew roughly 125 participants. Police officers deployed to the scene separated the groups into designated protest areas.
Tensions escalated around 12:15 pm when a participant from the initial protest allegedly used pepper spray against counter-protesters. Police later arrested the suspect. Shortly after 12:30 pm, an 18-year-old counter-protester identified as Emir Balat allegedly lit and threw an ignited device toward the opposing group. Tisch said witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as the device struck a barrier in a crosswalk a few feet from police officers before extinguishing.
Authorities said Balat then fled and retrieved another device from 19-year-old Ibrahim Nikk. Balat allegedly lit the second device and ran with it before eventually dropping it. Both men were taken into custody, and the incident was captured on NYPD cameras.
The NYPD Bomb Squad later examined the devices, which Tisch described as jars wrapped in black tape and filled with nuts, bolts, screws and a hobby fuse that could be lit. Officials said it remains unclear whether the objects were functional improvised explosive devices or hoaxes. The materials have been sent for further testing.
Police said they continued to search the surrounding area for additional hazards but have not found any more devices so far.
The NYPD confirmed that Mayor Mamdani was inside Gracie Mansion during the demonstrations. His spokesperson condemned the protest organised by Lang as “despicable and Islamophobic,” adding that the incident underscored the threats the mayor and his family regularly face.
In total, six arrests were made, including Balat, Nikk and the individual accused of using pepper spray. Three others were detained for disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing, with the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force also assisting.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she had been briefed on the incident and was relieved that no injuries were reported. “New York respects the right to peaceful protest, but we have zero tolerance for hate or violence,” Hochul said.
