Two men from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, were charged in a “ISIS-inspired” attack during the weekend outside Residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani when homemade bombs exploded as protesters clashed.
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, both from the Philadelphia suburbs in Bucks County, were arrested after Saturday’s protest. Balat is a Neshaminy School District student and Kayumi is a 2024 graduate of Council Rock High School North, school officials confirmed.
On Monday, the Southern District of New York charged Balat and Kayumi with five counts, including attempting to support a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS), use of a weapon of mass destruction, and transportation of explosive material.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters Monday that both admitted to being inspired by ISIS. Balat told investigators he wanted to carry out a larger attack, Tirsch said.
Christina Cornell
“[Balat] “He also told investigators that he hoped to carry out an attack even bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing, which he said resulted in ‘only three deaths,'” Tisch said.
Tisch said Balat and Kayumi waived their Miranda rights, and Kayumi told police she saw ISIS propaganda on her phone. While giving up his rights, Balat wrote a statement and declared his allegiance to the Islamic State, Tisch said.
“This was an alleged act of terrorism inspired by ISIS that could have killed American citizens. We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous anti-American ideology to threaten this nation; our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant, as they were when these devices were brought to a protest,” US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
Authorities said two of the devices found outside Mamdani’s residence were improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, that could have caused serious injury or death. A third device found Sunday is under investigation.
According to the indictment against Balat and Kayumi, one of the explosives was nicknamed the “Mother of Satan.” Preliminary testing of the device showed that it contained triacetone triperoxide, which the FBI described as a volatile explosive that has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the past decade.
“These were actions inspired by ISIS, and it is chilling that they would want to do anything more than the Boston Marathon,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton.
FBI response in Bucks County following arrests
The FBI said it was conducting a court-authorized search Monday in connection with the Balat and Kuyami terrorism case.
The feds were searching a storage facility in Langhorne on South Flowers Road, the Middletown Township Police Department said.
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Sunday saw a large police response across Bucks County following Saturday’s protest in New York City.
Law enforcement officers were seen around Balat’s address in Langhorne. Officers wearing tactical gear trained their weapons in the area of Durnam and Frosty Hollow roads.
The FBI announced over a megaphone, “This is the FBI, everyone get out,” and three people were seen leaving the house. Earlier, a woman who answered the door to Balat’s home declined to share additional information.
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Newtown Township police said they assisted the FBI with an investigation Sunday afternoon at Kayumi’s residence in the area of Stoopville Road and Clymer Street.
According to court documents, Kayumi was reported missing by her mother the morning of the protest in New York City.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken the lead in the investigation.
What to know about the protest at Gracie Mansion in New York City
On Saturday, an anti-Islam protest near Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York City, was organized by people associated with Jake Lang, a rioter pardoned on January 6 and far-right influencer, according to Tisch.
A group of more than 100 people also gathered at the same location for a counterprotest called “Kick the Nazis out of New York City/Stand Up Against Hate.”
According to Tisch, Balat ignited and threw a lit device toward protesters. Witnesses told police they saw flames and smoke as the device traveled through the air before crashing into a barrier and extinguishing itself a few meters from police officers.
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In a video from the scene, a man appears to shout “Allahu Akbar” – or “God is the Greatest” – just as Balat throws the device. The confirmed CBS News team verified the videos. It is not clear from the videos who was shouting the words.
Tisch said Balat then ran south and got a second device from Kayumi. Balat allegedly turned on the device and ran with it before dropping it on the west side of East End Avenue between East 86th and East 87th streets.
Philadelphia man charged after protesters clash at New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence
A Philadelphia man was among those charged after protesters clashed outside Mamdani’s residence on Saturday, NYPD sources told CBS News.
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Ian McGinnis, 21, of Philadelphia, was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and possession of a harmful material (pepper spray).
NYPD sources told CBS News that McGinnis appeared to be part of the initial protests called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.” He was allegedly captured on video using pepper spray on counterprotesters.
Three other people were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction.