Two individuals have been arrested and four others detained following an attempted bomb attack outside Gracie Mansion, the residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has arrested two suspects and detained four additional individuals following an attempted bomb attack outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
A video released by the independent news agency Freedomnews captured a moment when one suspect passed a suspicious device to another shortly before police made the arrests. According to authorities, the device was a jar wrapped in black tape, filled with nuts, bolts, screws, and a fuse.
The arrests occurred during a larger police operation that involved detaining six individuals after a chaotic confrontation between rival protest groups outside the mansion.
The violence erupted during an anti-Islam demonstration organized by right-wing influencer Jake Lang, which clashed with a larger counter-protest amid the holy month of Ramadan. This confrontation led to the ignition and deployment of two suspicious devices, as reported by CNN.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed that the items, described as slightly smaller than a football, are currently being analyzed to determine whether they were functional improvised explosives or hoaxes.
During a press conference, Commissioner Tisch detailed the alarming nature of the incident, stating, “Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers.”
The investigation is ongoing to determine if the devices contained any energetic material, as authorities work to assess the level of threat posed to those present during the incident. The escalation reportedly began shortly after midday when a participant from the anti-Islam group allegedly used pepper spray against counter-protesters.
Approximately 20 minutes later, an 18-year-old counter-protester ignited and threw a device toward the protest area, which landed on a crosswalk. Following this initial act, the same suspect reportedly ran to a 19-year-old associate to retrieve a second device. He lit this second object before dropping it on the street as officers moved in to secure the area. Both individuals were among those taken into custody during the police operation.
In the aftermath of the incident, Mayor Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were reported safe. A spokesperson for the Mayor condemned the gathering organized by Lang as “despicable and Islamophobic,” emphasizing that the events served as a stark reminder of the threats they face regularly.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed that she had been briefed on the situation, stating that while the state respects the right to peaceful protest, there is “zero tolerance for hate or violence.” Police have clarified that there is currently no indication that the incident is linked to ongoing international conflicts.
This article has been published with permission from The Free Press Journal. It has been updated and edited for clarity, according to CNN.