Mamdani's support for NYPD scrutinized following his response to attempted NYC terror attack
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing new political problems after law enforcement said "ISIS-inspired" protesters armed with improvised explosives went to demonstrations outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday.
The homemade bombs that 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi allegedly ignited never exploded. But in the wake of "Snowball Gate" and the belief by many law enforcement members that Mamdani's support for the NYPD is tepid, the incident raised another round of questions about the mayor.
What Mamdani said
Mamdani made his first public comments about the protests that led to the arrests of the two Pennsylvania men on Monday morning, two days after the chaotic events outside his mayoral residence.
"I want to commend the officers who were on site. They faced a chaotic situation that very quickly could have become far more dangerous," Mamdani said at the news conference.
Standing with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navaro, Mamdani praised the "officers who responded without hesitation. That is courage, that is selflessness, and I am deeply grateful to both of them and to every member of the NYPD who works every single day to keep New Yorkers safe."
Some say the mayor's remarks were a calculated public relations performance to show support for an agency he has decried in the past. Weeks ago, when NYPD officers were injured in a Washington Square Park snowball fight, and several people were arrested, the mayor dismissed it as snow day exuberance.
He has also struggled with the rights of protesters, canceling an executive order signed by his predecessor, Eric Adams, that set up protest perimeters after an ugly confrontation outside the Park East Synagogue on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Can Mamdani build trust?
After prosecutors released the criminal complaint against Balat and Kayumi, Mamdani released a statement condemning them for being "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," the mayor's statement said.
But experts say Mamdani has more work to do to convince New Yorkers that he will keep them safe and police officers that he cares.
"He's been mayor for more than two months now ... What happened when police officers were attacked by snowballs? Nothing. What happened when an officer was injured by somebody? He went to the person that injured the officer at the hospital. He did not go to the police officer. He went to the party that injured the officer that was in the hospital. He is not showing support for the police officers," political strategist O'Brien Murray said.
"It takes a long time to build trust, and it's very easy to destroy trust. So now he's rebuilding trust, and so, let's see how the process goes," said CBS News law enforcement expert Richard Esposito. "Trust was damaged with the snowball incident and with things he said prior to becoming mayor."
"Absolutely, I think he has to work to rebuild trust. I think this is a good step," Esposito added.
