Suspects accused of throwing explosives outside NYC's Gracie Mansion face arraignment

The two men who allegedly lit and threw homemade bombs outside New York City's Gracie Mansion are expected to be arraigned Wednesday.

Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, are accused of traveling from Pennsylvania and hurling explosives during protests outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence in March. 

The teens were indicted on a host of charges, including attempted support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) and use of a weapon of mass destruction, according to the criminal complaint.

The weapon charge alone carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

What happened at Gracie Mansion?  

It started when two conflicting protests drew more than 100 participants outside the mayor's residence. One was an anti-Islam group and a counterprotest called Run the Nazis Out of New York City/Stand Against Hate.

Police separated the groups, but chaos ensued after a person from the initial protest used pepper spray against counter-protestors. 

Balat then allegedly lit and threw a device toward the crowd before taking off. He retrieved a second device from Kayumi but dropped it, the NYPD said.

The next day, another suspicious device was found in a car nearby. Testing revealed one of the devices contained triacetone triperoxide, known as TATP, a highly volatile and dangerous homemade explosive, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. 

FBI launches terrorism investigation

Both suspects admitted to law enforcement that their actions were inspired by ISIS, Tisch said.

Kayumi allegedly told investigators he had watched ISIS propaganda on his phone and was partly inspired by the group. Balat pledged his allegiance to ISIS in writing while he was in custody, according to the police commissioner.

The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force launched an investigation and searched the teens' residences in Pennsylvania in March.