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March 13-19, 2026 • Vayakhel-Pekudei • 24 Adar 5786 • Vol. 25, No. 8
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Global intifada knocks on Mamdani’s NY door ISIS-lovers hoped to top Boston Marathon bombing death toll
By Combined Sources Two wannabe Islamic terrorists are under arrest after throwing an improvised explosive device during a confrontation on Saturday between pro- and anti-Muslim demonstrators outside Gracie Mansion, official residence of Zohran Mamdani, the city first Muslim mayor on. The suspects “stated they were aligned with ISIS,” according to Jay Clayton, US attorney for the Southern District of New York. “This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens,” said US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general, said the men “allegedly sought to inflict mass casualties in service to ISIS with the hope of exceeding the carnage of the Boston Marathon bombing.” The two men — Emir Balat, 18, of Langhorne, PA, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, PA — were “both self-radicalized in recent years and traveled to Turkey and other terror-training hotspots,” the New York Post reported, citing law enforcement sources close to the investigation. The device that Balat is accused of throwing into a crowd of protesters “contained TATP, a highly volatile explosive that is colloquially known as the ‘Mother of Satan’ and extremely sensitive to impact, friction and heat,” the Justice Department said. “TATP has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade.” Jessica Tisch, the New York City Police Department commissioner, said at a Monday press conference that “I can confirm this morning that this is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism.” The city has been “in a heightened state of alert” since the “start of hostilities in Iran, and we remain in that posture,” said Tisch, who was wearing a Star of David necklace. “Today, we will continue to deploy additional counterterrorism resources throughout New York City, including heavy weapons teams, canine units, aviation and more.” “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 added.
A demonstrator — who police say described himself as an ISIS-inspired Islamic terrorist wannabee — flees after throwing a homemade explosive towards police during clashing protests in front of Gracie Mansion, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence, on Sunday. Charly Triballeau, AFP via Getty Images via JNS
“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.” “But luck is never a strategy,” she said. Balat lit and threw an explosive “toward
the area where the anti-Muslim protesters gathered” at around 12:15 pm, per the Justice Department complaint. He then ran down the block, and Kayumi gave him a second explosive device, which he appeared to ignite and drop “near where several NYPD officers were standing,” the complaint alleges.
The US Justice Department said on Monday that both men face charges of trying to support a foreign terror organization; using a weapon of mass destruction; transporting explosive materials, including across state lines; and possessing destructive devices illegally. See Global intifada’s on page 2