<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Two men face charges of providing material support to a terrorist organisation and using a weapon of mass destruction after a pair of homemade bombs were thrown during protests near </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/new-york" rel="" target="_blank" title="New York"><span>New York</span></a><span> City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's home.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, also face charges of transportation of explosive materials, unlawful possession of destructive devices and interstate transportation and receipt of explosives, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Body-worn camera footage cited in the complaint shows that as Kayumi was being placed into an NYPD vehicle following his arrest at the weekend, "a person in the crowd asked why he'd done this," and Kayumi responded with "ISIS", NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Monday (Tuesday AEST) press conference.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-israel-attack-iran-women-footballers-in-queensland-seek-asylum/ae4e93a0-47a2-445f-9c74-e4cd5b52df33" rel="" target="_blank" title="'They are safe': Five Iranian footballers granted asylum after fleeing handlers on the Gold Coast"><strong><span>'They are safe': Five Iranian footballers granted asylum after fleeing handlers on the Gold Coast</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After waiving his Miranda rights, Kayumi said "he had watched ISIS propaganda on his phone and that his actions that day were partly inspired by ISIS," Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Balat made statements without being questioned by officers and said "this isn't a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the Prophet. We take action … If I didn't do it someone else will come and do it," Tisch added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Balat also told authorities that he had pledged allegiance to the extremist group, the court document said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/new-york-mayor-zohran-mamdani-bombs-thrown-at-home-two-men-charged/8fc56615-6478-4ec9-bce4-20fdb581ab2b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Authorities later asked Balat if he was familiar with the Boston Marathon bombing and if that was what he hoped to accomplish. Balat responded, "No, even bigger. It was only three deaths," according to the complaint.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These were ISIS-inspired actions, and it is chilling that they wanted to do something more than the Boston Marathon, more than three deaths," Jay Clayton, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at the press conference.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>CNN is working to determine whether the men have legal representation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-israel-attack-iran-anthony-albanese-donald-trump-phone-call-iranian-footballers/4092c0df-f062-46c0-b1d5-ad0dca976579" rel="" target="_blank" title="'God bless Australia!' Trump's praise after late-night call with Albanese"><strong><span>'God bless Australia!' Trump's praise after late-night call with Albanese</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first improvised explosive device was thrown as anti-Islam protesters clashed with counterprotesters and did not explode.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The same man who threw the IED lit a second bomb, dropped it on the street and ran, the police commissioner said. It also did not explode.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Preliminary test results determined that these were not hoax devices, nor smoke bombs. They were improvised explosive devices that could have caused serious injury or death," Tisch said at a news conference Monday morning with the mayor.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A third device – found Sunday – is being investigated "in connection with" Saturday's incident, NYPD said. That device tested negative for explosive material, Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The violence Saturday erupted during an anti-Islam protest organized by a right-wing provocateur that was dwarfed by a crowd of more than 100 counterprotesters, officials said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/bali-scooter-crash-nsw-central-coast-mother-alivia-campbell-fighting-for-life/f26cd3fb-46eb-4b52-9958-bb9a4ff0ac00" rel="" target="_blank" title="Australian mother fighting for life after 'devastating' scooter and truck crash in Bali"><strong><span>Australian mother fighting for life after 'devastating' scooter and truck crash in Bali</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It only took one hour from the time the suspects crossed the George Washington Bridge into the city to their arrest after tossing the IEDs, Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>They do not have criminal histories, she added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The clash unfolded during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Mamdani, who is the city's first Muslim mayor, said he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, were not at Gracie Mansion at the time.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The police department has determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim or worse," Mamdani said at the news conference.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Anyone who comes to New York City to bring violence to our streets will be held accountable in accordance with the law."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Here's what we know:</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>How opposing protests boiled over</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An anti-Islam protest organized by right-wing influencer Jake Lang drew about 20 participants. It was outnumbered by a counterprotest called "Drive the Nazis Out of New York," which peaked at about 125 people, the police commissioner said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The dueling groups were separated into designated areas, but tensions escalated shortly before noon. Around 12.15pm, a protester associated with Lang's group pepper-sprayed counterprotesters, Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Twenty minutes later, a counterprotester "threw an ignited device toward the protest area," which landed on a crosswalk, Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Video shows protesters and police officers scrambling to get away from where the device landed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/andy-parking-fine-told-licence-would-be-suspended-over-fine-he-paid-in-full/468b430d-8035-4787-b331-fdd8986e0638" rel="" target="_blank" title="Aussie driver slapped with $130 fee, told his licence would be suspended over fine he paid in full"><strong><span>Aussie driver slapped with $130 fee, told his licence would be suspended over fine he paid in full</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"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 commissioner said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The man then retrieved a second device from another man before lighting it and starting to run, Tisch said. He dropped the second device on the street, where it appeared to emit smoke but also did not explode.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Officers arrested Balat and Kayumi, who are both from Pennsylvania, police said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Emir Balat is a student in Neshaminy School District, currently 12th grade," a district spokesperson said in an email to CNN.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A large law enforcement presence was seen Sunday around one of the arrested teenagers' homes in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, according to CNN affiliate KYW.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The FBI was conducting "court authorized law enforcement activity" in the area but didn't provide details, KYW reported. CNN has reached out to the FBI for information.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Authorities in Pennsylvania's Middletown Township and Newtown areas "have indicated that there is no known threat to the surrounding community," Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick posted Sunday night on Facebook.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The police commissioner declined to detail what made investigators believe the incident may be inspired by ISIS, but said more details could emerge Monday afternoon after a criminal complaint is unsealed. Tisch and the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York will hold a news conference Monday afternoon.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The anti-Islam protester accused of using pepper spray was also arrested, Tisch said. Another three people were arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>Bolts, screws and powerful explosive material</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Both devices recovered Saturday were slightly smaller than footballs and appeared to be jars wrapped in black tape containing bolts, screws and a hobby fuse, Tisch said, citing the NYPD bomb squad's preliminary analysis.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first device apparently was made with an unstable material called TATP, the commissioner said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"TATP is a dangerous and highly volatile homemade explosive that has been used in IED attacks around the world," Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The second device was still being analyzed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mamdani said Saturday's anti-Islam protest was "rooted in bigotry and racism" – but what followed was "even more disturbing," he said in a statement Sunday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are," the mayor said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said while "the Islamophobic protests that triggered all this is abhorrent," she also condemned those who reacted violently.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Neither belongs in New York – the reaction to the protest or the protest itself," Hochul said. "Yes, you have a right to protest. But this was all outside the bounds."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mamdani lauded the bravery of NYPD officers who "faced a chaotic situation that very quickly could have become far more dangerous."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At the news conference with Tisch on Monday, the mayor commended NYPD Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards and Sgt. Luis Navarro, who "ran towards the danger so that others could run to safety."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>A third device found</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On Sunday, the NYPD said it was investigating the third device in a vehicle a few blocks south of Gracie Mansion "in connection with" Saturday's incident.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The area was blocked off, and "limited evacuations" of buildings were conducted while the bomb squad examined and removed the device for further testing, police said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A Honda Civic was removed on a flatbed truck around 7 p.m. Sunday, and the streets were reopened.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>Disaster averted</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This was the first time in nearly a decade that IEDs targeted residents in the nation's largest city, Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The last time that an IED targeting people was deployed in New York City was in 2017, when Akayed Ullah detonated a device strapped to his torso in the pedestrian underpass connecting the Port Authority bus terminal and the Times Square subway station," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"No one other than the attacker was injured in that incident. And once again, we were fortunate that the devices used this weekend did not cause the kind of harm that they were certainly capable of causing."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>James Barnacle, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York field office, thanked the NYPD officers who ran toward the devices knowing they could detonate.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If it weren't for the bravery of two New York's finest we could have had a much more tragic incident," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Barnacle thanked other agencies involved in the investigation, including Customs and Border Protection, the Port Authority Police Department as well as FBI divisions in other cities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The collective efforts across all these agencies … thwarted a potentially devastating day in this city."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h2><span>A 'heightened threat environment'</span></h2></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Both the police chief and the governor said they're ramping up resources to protect the public.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We have been in a heightened state of alert in New York City since the start of hostilities in Iran, and we remain in that posture," Tisch said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We will continue to deploy additional counterterrorism resources throughout New York City, including heavy weapons teams, canine units, aviation and more," the police chief said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And "as the investigation into the terrorist attack near Gracie Mansion and military action in Iran continue," the governor posted on X. "New York State remains in a heightened threat environment."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More than 1,000 members of the National Guard have been deployed on state active duty, protecting critical transit sites across New York City, Hochul said. And state police "are increasing their presence at sensitive sites across New York."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><p><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via </span></strong><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727"><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></a><strong><span> and </span></strong><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1"><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></a></p></li><li><p><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by </span></strong><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w"><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></a></p></li><li><p><strong><span>Sign up to </span></strong><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine"><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></a></p></li></ul></div></div>