New York City police said Sunday that a device that was ignited and thrown during protests outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home over the weekend was an explosive that could have caused serious injury or death.
The device, a jar filled with nuts, bolts and screws and wrapped in black tape with a fuse, was thrown by a counterprotester Saturday in front of Gracie Mansion, but it extinguished itself before any explosion, according to a statement from New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Two people were detained, Tisch said.
The device was one of two that were thrown during the protests, led by two opposing groups, according to police. The second device is still being examined, Tisch said.
Far-right activist Jake Lang led a protest Saturday outside Gracie Mansion, where Mamdani lives with his wife, against an alleged Islamic “takeover” of New York City and against public prayer by Muslims. Tisch said at a news conference Saturday that he did not believe Mamdani and his wife were home at the time.
In a statement Sunday, Mamdani condemned Lang’s protest but said the violence that followed was more disturbing.
“Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” Mamdani said. “Attempting to use an explosive device and injure others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
Lang’s protest, which consisted of about 20 people, was opposed to a much larger counterprotest of 125 people aimed at driving “Nazis” out of New York, Tisch said at a news conference Saturday. Police said Emir Balat, 18, was among the counterprotesters before lighting and throwing the device.
The device rolled near police before turning itself off, Tisch said Saturday. Balat ran after throwing it and eventually turned on and dropped a second device on the street, according to Tisch.
Balat and another man, whom police identified Sunday as Ibrahim Kayumi, were arrested at the scene, Tisch said. The NYPD is working with the FBI and the US Department of Justice on the investigation.
Tisch said Saturday that there were no immediate indications that the incident was related to the U.S. attack on Iran, but that authorities were still investigating.
