NEW YORK (WPIX) – Two ISIS-inspired men accused of trying to detonate bombs at New York City protests wanted to cause a terror attack bigger than the Boston Marathon, according to federal prosecutors.
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, were arrested on Saturday for allegedly throwing two homemade IEDs near Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side on Saturday, police said. The devices had triacetone triperoxide (TATP), an explosive material used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade, officials said.
The suspects came from Pennsylvania to New York City and allegedly told investigators they planned to execute an ISIS-inspired attack when they were taken into custody, according to the complaint.
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When Kayumi was being put into the NYPD vehicle, someone from the crowd asked why he had done this.
“ISIS,” he replied, the federal complaint said.
Authorities said Kayumi had been radicalized and allegedly had ISIS propaganda on his phone. Balat allegedly wrote on a piece of paper that he “pledge[d] allegiance [sic] to the Islamic State,” according to court documents.
Balat said the defendants were allegedly looking to carry out an attack bigger than the 2013 Boston Marathon, which killed three people, prosecutors said.
“This was not random violence, this was a planned attack inspired by a violent foreign terror organization,” officials said.
Emir Balat is accused of igniting and throwing a homemade bomb outside of Gracie Mansion in New York City on March 7, 2026. (credit: Southern District of New York)
On Saturday, more than 100 protesters from “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” and “Run Nazis Out of New York City” clashed near Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Gracie Mansion residence at East End Avenue, authorities said.
The defendants arrived in New York City at 11:30 a.m. and parked on East End Avenue at 12:05 p.m. The alleged attack started 45 minutes later, authorities said.
Investigators said Balat allegedly lit and threw a device, sending smoke and flames flying through the air. Kayumi allegedly had another device that he handed to Balat, who threw it close to NYPD officers, prosecutors said. The men were two of the six people arrested at the protests.
The bomb squad found an explosive device in a black car parked on East End Avenue between East 81st and 82nd streets on Sunday, police said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said a third device was found in a Black 2010 Honda with New Jersey plates. Using a robot, the NYPD bomb squad was able to find the device, and the materials inside the car were consistent with the two other IEDs. The materials are being examined by the FBI.
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Police described one of the devices as a smoking object containing nuts, bolts, screws, and a “hobby fuse.” The device extinguished itself steps from police officers, Tisch said.
“Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi have been charged with committing a heinous act of terrorism and proclaiming their allegiance to ISIS. They should be held fully accountable for their actions. We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in our city,” said Mamdani, who was not at Gracie Mansion during the protests.
Balat and Kayumi were charged with attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, use of a weapon of mass destruction, transportation of explosive materials, interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, and unlawful possession of destructive devices, prosecutors said.
The suspects will be arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court on Monday. Information for their attorneys was not immediately available.
