Federal prosecutors said Monday that two pro-Muslim protesters accused of hurling homemade explosives at a rally opposing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani claimed the Islamic State terror group inspired the attack.
One suspect said after his arrest that their intent was to inflict more casualties than the deadly 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Charging documents for Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, said both men separately expressed that “ISIS” motivated them Saturday to fling an improvised explosive device toward a small crowd of protesters outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Mr. Mamdani.
“This isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the Prophet … We take action,” Mr. Balat allegedly said during his arrest, according to audio transcriptions of police body camera footage in the filing. “If I didn’t do it someone else will come and do it.”
After being taken to a New York Police Department station, Mr. Balat waived his Miranda rights and wrote a pro-ISIS message on a piece of paper, charging documents state.
“All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegience [sic] to the Islamic State,” Mr. Balat allegedly wrote. “Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar!
“Kuffar” is an Arabic term that means “infidels,” and “die in your rage” is an Islamic State slogan based on a verse in the Quran, court documents say.
The court filing said investigators asked Mr. Balat if he had hoped to accomplish something similar to the Boston Marathon bombing. He allegedly replied, “No, even bigger. It was only three deaths.”
Mr. Kayumi separately said he had participated in the attack because of “ISIS,” according to police body cam audio during his arrest.
While being interrogated, Mr. Kayumi waived his Miranda rights and told investigators he was affiliated with ISIS, court documents said. He said his role in the attack was inspired by the terror group and he had watched propaganda videos on his phone. Prosecutors said the suspects face multiple charges, including terrorism-related offenses and using a weapon of mass destruction.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the pair threw an improvised explosive device at the roughly 20 protesters who were part of the “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City,” which was organized by conservative influencer Jake Lang.
“The police department has determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim or worse,” said Mr. Mamdani, who is Muslim. “Thanks to the swift and decisive actions of NYPD officers at the scene, both men were immediately taken into custody, and the devices they brought taken off of our streets.”
Potential sleeper cells
Videos of the anti-Mamdani rally show a suspect running up to the demonstrators with a lit explosive in hand. He throws the smoke-spewing bomb into the small crowd and appears to yell “Allahu Akbar” before running off, according to the footage.
The same suspect lit another explosive but dropped it as police ran towards him, authorities said. It did not detonate. Commissioner Tisch said officers found a third unused explosive in a vehicle tied to the two suspects.
NYPD’s top cop previously described the devices as “a bit smaller than a football” and said they appeared to resemble “a jar wrapped in black tape.” Several media outlets reported the devices were filled with nuts, bolts and screws that would have sent shrapnel flying out upon explosion.
Substances detected in the explosives include triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, which the commissioner said is found in improvised explosive devices made internationally. Charging documents referred to the substance as the “Mother of Satan” since it has been used in multiple terrorist attacks in the past decade.
“TATP is a dangerous and highly volatile homemade explosive that has been used in IED attacks around the world,” Commissioner Tisch said. “Our bomb squad then rendered safe both devices, and as of now, explosive evidence samples are being sent to an FBI lab for further testing.”
The commissioner said there are no known connections between the suspects and the Iranian regime.
Iranian leaders are known to activate sleeper cells inside enemy countries in response to attacks on the regime, such as the U.S.-Israel military strike last month that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mr. Balat and Mr. Kayumi are U.S. citizens, but their parents immigrated to the U.S. from the Middle East, according to Fox News.
Mr. Balat’s parents hail from Turkey and became naturalized citizens in 2017. Mr. Kayumi’s parents are from Afghanistan, and his parents naturalized during the 2000s.
Investigators are probing whether the two have visited areas in the Middle East that are known as terrorist recruitment hotspots.
Mr. Balat traveled to Turkey in January and went to the country several times last year, according to CBS News. Mr. Kayumi visited Turkey and Saudi Arabia in 2024.
The bomb-throwing in New York City happened a week after a mass shooting in Austin, Texas, that is being investigated as a potential terrorist attack. Three people were killed and 19 wounded after a man opened fire on bar patrons in the heart of Austin’s nightlife corridor. Police shot and killed suspect Ndiaga Diagne, 53, at the scene.
Diagne, a native of Senegal who became a U.S. citizen in 2013, was wearing a “Property of Allah” sweatshirt and an Iranian flag T-shirt during the attack, investigators said.
The FBI said there were potential terrorism indicators in the shooting, but have not gone into specifics about what those could be.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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