New York City law enforcement officials said on Sunday that a device set alight and hurled amid demonstrations outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence was an explosive capable of causing serious injury or death.
At a press briefing, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the device consisted of a jar filled with nuts, bolts and screws, wrapped in black tape and fitted with a fuse. The device was thrown by a counterprotester on Saturday outside Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence where Mamdani lives with his wife, according to Tisch. She added that the device extinguished itself before any explosion occurred.
Tisch said two people were in custody in connection with the incident. The device that was described as explosive was one of two that were thrown during the confrontations between opposing groups, she said, and the second device remains under examination.
The demonstrations were organized by rival groups. Far-right activist Jake Lang led a protest of about 20 people outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday that targeted what he described as a purported Islamic "takeover" of New York City and opposed public prayer by Muslims, Tisch said. That smaller demonstration drew a larger counterprotest of roughly 125 people, which Tisch said aimed at running "Nazis" out of New York.
According to police statements, Emir Balat, 18, was among the counterprotesters and was the person who lit and threw the first device. Tisch said the device rolled near police officers before it went out. Balat then ran after throwing it and later ignited and dropped a second device in the street, she said.
Both Balat and another man, identified by police on Sunday as Ibrahim Kayumi, were taken into custody at the scene, Tisch said. New York police said they are working with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice on the ongoing investigation.
Mamdani issued a statement on Sunday condemning the protest led by Lang and expressing alarm at the violence that followed. "Violence at a protest is never acceptable," Mamdani said. "The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are."
At a press conference on Saturday, Tisch said she did not believe Mamdani and his wife were home at the time of the incident. She also said there was no immediate indication that the episode was related to the U.S. attack on Iran, though investigators were continuing to examine all possible connections.
The situation at Gracie Mansion on Saturday involved a mix of organized protest activity and spontaneous clashes between opposing demonstrators. Police described a scene in which two devices were deployed during the confrontation, one of which was confirmed as an explosive by city law enforcement, while the other remained under forensic review.
Authorities have not released further details about the ongoing examination of the second device or any additional investigative steps beyond the reported cooperation with federal agencies. The arrests of Balat and Kayumi were made at the location where the incidents occurred, according to Tisch.