Federal charges alleged Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi deployed explosives outside Gracie Mansion and declared ISIS allegiance after arrest.
Two Pennsylvania men have been federally charged with attempting to detonate improvised explosive devices outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence. The men declared allegiance to ISIS following their arrests, prosecutors announced Monday.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said earlier Monday that the devices were deployed in the direction of anti-Islamic protesters and NYPD officers.
Emir Balat, 18, of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, face charges including use of a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and attempted provision of material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
After his arrest, Balat allegedly told officers, “I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State,” and when asked whether he had hoped to replicate the Boston Marathon bombing, responded: “No, even bigger. It was only three deaths.”
Kayumi, when asked by a bystander about his motivation, responded “ISIS,” according to the complaint.
Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the men “pledged allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization” and “sought to inflict mass casualties in service to ISIS with the hope of exceeding the carnage of the Boston Marathon bombing.”
Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney General for the Southern District of New York, said both men stated after being apprehended that they were aligned with ISIS.
“Violence is not protected speech, and it’s not protected protest,” Clayton said. “In New York, violence—particularly acts of terror—will be met with swift justice.”
“Two men, Amir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, traveled from Pennsylvania and attempted to bring violence to New York City,” Mamdani said during a March 9 press conference outside the residence.
“They are suspected of coming here to commit an act of terrorism. There is video of these two individuals throwing 2 devices towards the protest. The police department has determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim, or worse.”
NYPD has also referred to Ibrahim as having the last name Nick, although on March 9 in the morning press conference and on social media, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch used Kayumi as the suspect’s last name.
“This is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism,” Tisch said.
She noted earlier that one of the bombs contained nuts, bolts, and screws.
By Chase Smith
