Bomb thrown at protest near NYC mayor’s house

crime

The counter-protester accused of throwing the bomb was one of six people arrested after a clash with anti-Muslim demonstrators led by right-wing activist Jake Lange.

By Emma Goldberg and Chelsea Rose Marcius, New York Times Service

March 8, 2026

3 minutes to read

NEW YORK — At least one protester threw a homemade bomb Saturday during a violent clash with far-right demonstrators outside Gracie Mansion in Manhattan, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday.

A preliminary analysis of the device by the police department’s bomb squad found that it was “not a decoy device or smoke bomb,” but rather “an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death,” Tisch wrote on social media.

Amir Balat, 18, the counter-protester accused of throwing that device and another smoking projectile, and Ibrahim Nik, 19, accused of supplying one of them, were arrested Saturday, police said. No explosions or injuries were reported as a result of these devices.

Charges against Blatt, of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and Nick, of Newton, Pennsylvania, had not been decided as of Sunday, police said.

Officers also arrested four other people, including Ian McGinnis, 21, of Philadelphia, who pepper-sprayed counter-protesters. He was charged with reckless endangerment, assault and unlawful possession of a harmful substance, police said Sunday.

The turbulent scene in one of New York City’s hippest neighborhoods began with a plan Extremist right-wing instigator Jake Lange at a “Stop the Muslim Takeover of New York City” protest near Gracie, the home of New York’s first Muslim mayor, Zahran Mamdani.

Lange appeared with a goat and about 20 of his followers, who were wearing American flag hats and jackets reading “Freedom,” chanting the slogan found on a T-shirt worn by slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. As the day went on, and the number of counter-protesters chanting at Lange grew to more than 100 people, tensions rose.

One of Lang’s fellow protesters sprayed mace at a group of counter-protesters, causing some of them to cry. Fist fights broke out in the crowd, and raw eggs flew into the air.

A counter-protester then threw two smoking objects, one of which landed on East 87th Street and caught fire, sending the protesters running for cover.

At least one of the devices was made from a jug that contained a sports drink bottle filled with explosive material, as well as nails, nails and a “hobby fuse,” according to a senior law enforcement official who was briefed on the matter but was not authorized to discuss further investigation.

The FBI’s New York office later said it had recovered “two suspicious items” from Gracie’s mansion during the protest, and that its Joint Terrorism Division was investigating the matter alongside police.

Tisch said Sunday that police are working with the FBI and federal prosecutors and further analysis will be conducted on both devices.

Tesh said the mayor and his wife, Rama Dawaji, were not home at the time of the protest. In a social media post on Sunday, Mamdani called Lang a “white supremacist” whose protest was “rooted in bigotry and racism,” but added that “what followed was even more disturbing.”

“Attempting to use an explosive device and harm others is not only a criminal offense, but it is reprehensible and contradictory to our identity,” the mayor said, thanking the police department for its response.

Even after the smoke cleared on Saturday, the chaos and screaming continued. Drums were beaten. Someone threw a hot dog. Locals who had been walking around for lunch and the gym took shelter inside a supermarket in Gristedes, many of them unsure of the reason behind the protests.

It was a tense moment filled with national and local tensions. Lang, a participant in the January 6 riot who was pardoned, organized a counter-protest to anti-immigration demonstrations in Minneapolis that turned into violent brawls. Last week, conservative radio host Syed Rosenberg called Mamdani a “jihadist” and “the cockroach of radical Islam.” On Friday evening, Lang appeared at a vigil for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s deceased supreme leader, in Washington Square Park, leading to more altercations.

Near the site of Saturday’s protest, some local residents were upset by the unrest. Inside Gristedes, Katherine Morlet said she was trying to enjoy the peace of mind on Saturday morning at her yoga class. Corinne Shaw was taking her son to the library so he could start a report on birds when she ended up in a spiral of confusion. The streets were crowded with runners, strollers and angry tourists.

But many passersby — some with a dose of New York City swagger — said a certain amount of buzz comes with living near the mayor’s residence.

“Anti-fascist protests are probably more important than my gym routine,” said Morgan Majid, 29.

On Sunday afternoon, the Police Department closed down a stretch of East End Street several blocks south of Gracie Mansion, where investigators found a car belonging to one of the protesters who was arrested Saturday, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal details of the investigation, said there were no indications of additional explosive devices in the car, but authorities were waiting for the bomb squad to search the vehicle.

This article originally appeared on New York Times.