During a Monday press conference, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi will be charged in federal court following the discovery of improvised explosive devices near Gracie Mansion.
Tisch confirmed the case is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism. Federal sources described the ongoing probe as a “terror investigation” into the functional IEDs and an additional suspicious device found over the weekend.
Sources indicate that both Balat and Kayumi made pro-ISIS statements while in police custody. Investigators are currently scrutinizing the suspects’ past travel to Turkey and other international locations known as potential terror training grounds. Records show Balat spent several months in Istanbul in mid-2025, while Kayumi traveled to Turkey and Saudi Arabia in 2024.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has expanded the investigation into Pennsylvania, executing search warrants at Kayumi’s home in Newtown and Balat’s residence in Langhorne.
During these searches, additional individuals were taken into custody for questioning, though no further arrests have been officially announced.
The NYPD Bomb Squad previously sent the devices to the FBI’s Quantico lab for analysis. One device was confirmed to be a functional IED capable of causing serious injury or death.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News the devices consisted of sports drink bottles filled with explosive material, set inside glass jars, and surrounded by nuts and bolts for fragmentation. The devices allegedly contained TATP, a volatile explosive powder, and used M80-type fireworks as fuses.
Video from the weekend protests shows a man yelling “Allahu Akbar” as Balat allegedly threw an ignited device. According to Tisch, the first device hit a barrier and extinguished itself near police officers. Balat then allegedly retrieved a second device from Kayumi before dropping it and fleeing.
Along with the primary suspects, 21-year-old Ian McGuiness was arrested for allegedly using pepper spray on counter-protesters, while three others face disorderly conduct charges.
A third device found Sunday in a vehicle on East End Avenue prompted building evacuations while the Bomb Squad assessed the threat.
While Commissioner Tisch noted she is limited in what she can disclose, the transition to federal court marks a significant escalation in the legal proceedings against the two Pennsylvania men.
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