Mayor Mamdani speaks out for first time after bomb was thrown outside his home during 'white supremacist' protest
The weekend protest in New York City was 'anti-Muslim', which saw counter-protesters throw bombs
Britt Jones
The mayor of New York City has spoken about an attack outside of his home, which included an explosive being thrown near his residence.
Zohran Mamdani issued a statement about an anti-Muslim protest outside Gracie Mansion, which is the residence of the mayor and his wife.
City spokesperson Joe Calvello told NBC News: “Thankfully, the Mayor and the First Lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly.”
Jake Lang, a political influencer, was leading the charge for the 'Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer’ event.
Advert
However, with reports alleging only 25 people, attended, while its counter protest, 'Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate,' saw a crowd of around 125.
It was there that a counter-protester by the name of Emir Balat, 18, allegedly lit and dropped an explosive near stationed police.
According to the Daily Mail, he then managed to obtain a second device from protester Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and dropped it on the west side of East End Avenue.
As the weekend closed, Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the devices were real explosive.
On Sunday March 8, the mayor said online: “Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism.
“Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are. What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable.”
He then addressed the bombs, stating: “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are. I want to thank the brave men and women of the NYPD who acted quickly to keep New Yorkers safe.”
He added: “Our officers ran toward danger without hesitation, demonstrating once again the courage and dedication it takes to protect this city every single day.”
That same day, the NYPD confirmed that they had found 'suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street’ which led to them freezing the area and evacuating buildings while the Bomb Squad could remove the device.
As per the police commissioner, she revealed the Bomb Squad determined the protest bomb was ‘not a hoax device or a smoke bomb’ and instead was an ‘improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.’
She then confirmed that both Balat and Kayumi, were arrested by the NYPD and are currently in custody.
Video from the counter protest shows a man shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ after throwing what Tish described as a ‘a jar wrapped in tape, importantly with nuts, bolts, and screws, along with a hobby fuse.’
The other device, was made of a sports drink bottle with explosive material inside a glass jar filled with fireworks fuse, and ‘fragmentation’, a law enforcement source told CBS New York.
The FBI said on X of the incident: "FBI New York continues to be engaged with NYPD and all of our law enforcement partners actively investigating the two devices thrown outside Gracie Mansion yesterday afternoon. The FBI and NYPD confirmed the suspicious items to be improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Additionally, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) will be conducting interviews, reviewing videos, collecting evidence, and chasing down all leads. Rest assured, the FBI, NYPD, NYSP, and all our law enforcement partners are working tirelessly to ensure this city and its residents are safe."