New York City police arrested two teenagers on Saturday for allegedly detonating an improvised explosive device during a protest led by independent journalist Jake Lang. Authorities identified the suspects as Ibraham Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18.
The device used in the attack reportedly contained Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), a highly volatile explosive compound. According to law enforcement, the suspects were inspired by the terrorist organization ISIS.
Video footage of the incident appears to show Balat shouting “Allahu akbar” as the explosive was thrown. Following the arrests, the FBI executed search warrants at the homes of both suspects on Sunday after they reportedly admitted to viewing ISIS propaganda online.
On Monday, Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s response to the incident, noting that the mayor’s public statements focused on the nature of the protest rather than the identities or motives of the attackers.
Mamdani described Lang’s event as “rooted in bigotry and racism” and labeled Lang a “white supremacist,” but did not provide details regarding the suspects or their reported ties to extremist groups.
“It’s so striking that Mamdani immediately calls out, by name, the man who organized the protest over public Muslim prayer and denounced him as a white supremacist, yet the mayor would not describe the suspects who attempted to bomb the protest and kill people,” Jarrett stated during an appearance on Fox and Friends. Jarrett characterized the omission as “selective outrage,” further citing reports that the mayor’s wife, Rama Duwaji, had previously liked social media posts celebrating the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
While corporate media outlets characterized the protest as “anti-Islam” and “Islamophobic,” the event was specifically organized to demonstrate against public Muslim prayer.
Tensions remained high on Monday as footage captured by reporter CB Cotton showed NYPD officers barring Lang from entering Mayor Mamdani’s press conference.
The incident follows previous confrontations involving Lang’s organized events. In January, footage from a Minneapolis protest against Somali migrant welfare fraud—an issue federal officials estimate has cost taxpayers $9 billion—showed left-wing rioters attacking a counter-protester.
READ: Pennsylvania Suspects In NYC IED Case Face Charges For Suspected ISIS-Inspired Terrorism
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