IED bomb thrown at far right protest outside Zohran Mamdani’s New York home ‘could have killed or maimed’

A homemade explosive device thrown during a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence was a viable bomb that could have caused serious injury or death, police said.

Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested and remained in custody in connection with the incident discovered Saturday.

Investigators said two devices were wrapped in black tape and appeared to be jars filled with screws and fitted with hobby fuses. The New York Police Department later confirmed that at least one device was an improvised explosive device.

An activist flees police during a protest organized by far-right influencer Jake Lang against alleged “Islamification” and to ask for a “stop of public Muslim prayer” (Picture: AFP)

Mamdani was inside the official mayoral residence on the Upper East Side at the time of the protest. He and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were not injured.

“Violence at a protest is never acceptable,” Mamdani said in a statement. “The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible.”

He thanked NYPD officers for responding quickly and said his administration was monitoring the situation and remaining in contact with the police commissioner.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the NYPD Bomb Squad conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at the protest.

“It is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb,” Tisch said. “It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death. Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device.”

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaj were not injured in the attack

She said the devices were smaller than a football and wrapped in tape with nuts, bolts and screws attached. A hobby fuse could be lit to ignite them.

A spokesperson for the mayor said one device struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers.

Six people were arrested at the protest, which was organized by far-right activist Jake Lang and held outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday. Police said two arrests were related to suspicious devices, one involved pepper spray, and three were for disorderly conduct.

Police confront a man holding a smoking object at the protest: (Picture: AFP)

Tisch said about 20 people attended the protest and a counterprotest drew about 125 people at its peak.

Lang’s supporters cooked a whole pig and brought it to the mayor’s home during Ramadan.

“Thankfully, the Mayor and the First Lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly,” a mayoral spokesperson said.

Police said one person threw a device toward officers, then ran. Another person handed him a second device, which was later dropped.

Lang later posted on X claiming he had been the target of the bombing.

Jake Lang at a recent ‘Crusader March’ (Picture: Reuters)

“I just survived an assassination attempt,” he wrote. “The homemade bomb they threw landed 3 feet in front of me.”

Lang has previously faced criminal charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot and later received clemency as part of actions taken by President Donald Trump. He has said he plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Marco Rubio.

Lang recently promoted a rally he called a “Crusader March,” which critics labeled racist and Islamophobic, and said he intended to burn a copy of the Quran.