2 Bucks County, Pennsylvania, men charged in "ISIS-inspired" attack outside NYC Mayor Mamdani's residence
Two men from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, were charged in an "ISIS-inspired" attack over the weekend outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence when homemade bombs ignited as protesters clashed.
Emir Balat, 18, and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, who are both from the Philadelphia suburbs in Bucks County, were arrested after Saturday's protest. A spokesperson for Neshaminy High School said Balat is a senior there, but he was enrolled virtually and has not attended in-person classes since September. Kayumi is a 2024 graduate of Council Rock High School North, officials from the school confirmed.
On Monday, the Southern District of New York charged Balat and Kayumi with five counts, including attempted support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS), use of a weapon of mass destruction and transportation of explosive material.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters Monday both admitted to being inspired by ISIS. Balat told investigators he wanted to carry out a bigger attack, Tirsch said.
"[Balat] also told investigators that he hoped to carry out an attack even bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing, which he noted resulted in 'only three deaths,'" Tisch said.
Tisch said that Balat and Kayumi both waived their Miranda rights, and Kayumi told police he watched ISIS propaganda on his phone. While waiving his rights, Balat wrote a statement and declared his allegiance to the Islamic State, Tisch said.
"This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens. We will not allow ISIS's poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation — our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant, as they were when these devices were brought to a protest," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.
Officials said two of the devices found outside Mamdani's residence were improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, that could've resulted in serious injuries or death. A third device found Sunday is under investigation.
According to the indictment against Balat and Kayumi, one of the explosives was dubbed the "Mother of Satan." Preliminary testing of the device showed it contained triacetone triperoxide, which the FBI described as a volatile explosive that has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade.
"These were ISIS-inspired actions, and it's chilling that they wanted to do something more than the Boston Marathon," U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said.
Video shows Emir Balat buying fuse at Phantom Fireworks before attack at Gracie Mansion
An exclusive video Tuesday shows Balat apparently buying the fuse he allegedly used in Saturday's attempted attack at Phantom Fireworks in Penndel on March 2, five days before the incident at Gracie Mansion.
The video shows Balat walking inside Phantom Fireworks at around 12:45 p.m., March 2 and apparently purchasing a 20-foot roll of safety fuse.
According to William Weimer, the vice president and general counsel for Phantom Fireworks Company, the fuse cost $6.89, including tax.
"Coming in and buying that was uneventful. Had he bought 20 rolls of fuse, it might have raised eyebrows. But buying one or two items of anything in this store is almost a non-event. Nothing remarkable about the purchase," Weimer told CBS News in a telephone interview Tuesday.
The FBI contacted the store's national security director Monday, Weimer said.
FBI detonates explosive material found at Langhorne, Pa. storage facility
The FBI said it was conducting a court-authorized search in connection with Balat and Kayumi's terrorism case Monday.
The feds were searching a storage facility in Langhorne on South Flowers Mill Road, the Middletown Township Police Department said. FBI bomb technicians were seen in tactical gear and searching for more evidence in the investigation.
Investigators departed around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Overnight, residents may have heard several explosions as investigators conducted a controlled detonation of explosive materials that they found, Middletown Township police said in a Facebook post.
"While the noise may have been startling to some residents, there was no danger to the public at any time," the post read. "The operation at the storage facility has now concluded and the location has returned to normal operations."
A spokesperson for FBI New York said, "Yesterday's search of the storage unit believed to be connected the Gracie Mansion incident revealed explosive residue. FBI Special Agent Bomb Technicians and the local bomb squads conducted a controlled detonation to ensure the safety of law enforcement and others in the area."
On Sunday, a large law enforcement response was seen throughout Bucks County following Saturday's protest in New York City.
Law enforcement was seen around Balat's address in Langhorne. Officers wearing tactical gear had their guns drawn in the area of Durnam and Frosty Hollow roads.
The FBI announced on a megaphone, "This is the FBI, everybody come out," and three people were seen exiting the home. Earlier, a woman who answered the door at Balat's home declined to share any additional information.
Newtown Township police said they assisted the FBI with an investigation Sunday afternoon at Kayumi's residence in the area of Stoopville Road and Clymer Street.
According to court documents, Kayumi was reported missing by his mother the morning of the protest in New York City.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force has taken the lead on the investigation.
What to know about protest at Gracie Mansion in New York City
On Saturday, an anti-Islam protest near Gracie Mansion, the New York City mayor's official residence, was organized by people associated with Jake Lang, a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter and far-right influencer, according to Tisch.
A group of more than 100 people also gathered at the same location for a counterprotest called "Run the Nazis Out of New York City/Stand Against Hate."
According to Tisch, Balat lit and threw an ignited device toward protesters. Witnesses told police they saw flames and smoke as the device traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers.
In a video from the scene, a man appears to yell "Allahu Akbar" — or "God is Most Great" — just as Balat throws the device. The CBS News Confirmed Team verified the videos. It is not clear from the videos who was shouting the words.
Tisch said Balat then ran southbound and got a second device from Kayumi. Balat allegedly lit the device and ran with it before dropping it on the west side of East End Avenue between East 86th and East 87th streets.
Terrorism expert explains how young people get radicalized
Clark McCauley, a psychology professor at Bryn Mawr College who studies terrorism, said groups like ISIS may not be specifically targeting younger people with messaging. But they may be more susceptible to it.
"More emotional, less experienced in thinking through issues, political issues," he said. "It's just kind of random who it's going to be that's going to respond to that emotional reaction and turn to action. We can't predict who."
While it's tough to predict, experts say there are things for parents to look for, including a change in behavior, activities, friends and what they're looking at online.
Philadelphia man charged after protesters clashed at NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence
A Philadelphia man was among the people charged after protesters clashed outside Mamdani's residence Saturday, NYPD sources told CBS News.
Ian McGinnis, 21, of Philadelphia, was charged with assault, reckless endangerment and possession of a noxious material (pepper spray).
NYPD sources told CBS News that McGinnis appeared to be a part of the initial protests called "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City." He was allegedly captured on video using pepper spray on counter-protesters.
Three other people were charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction charges.
