Two Teens Charged in Foiled ISIS-Inspired Bomb Plot Near New York Mayor’s Residence

NEW YORK — Two teenagers who prosecutors say proclaimed allegiance to the Islamic State have been charged with using a “weapon of mass destruction” in a failed bombing attempt near the official residence of New York Mayor Zohair Mamdani, federal authorities said Monday.

Federal prosecutors allege the suspects attempted to detonate homemade explosive devices during a confrontation between two rival protest groups Saturday near the mayoral residence.

Attorney-General Pam Bondi described the incident as a serious terrorism case.

“This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens,” Bondi said.

Authorities said one of the suspects, Emir Balat, 18, allegedly lit the fuse on a homemade bomb packed with metal fragments and the explosive chemical TATP and threw it toward a crowd. The device failed to detonate, preventing what officials say could have been a deadly attack.

Investigators say another device had been handed to him by Ibrahim Nikk Khayumi, 19, but police intervened before it could be set off and arrested the suspects at the scene.

New York Counterterrorism Deputy Police Commissioner Rebecca Weiner said the explosives could have caused significant casualties.

“They could have caused death, destruction” if the bombs had exploded, Weiner said.

On Sunday, police used a bomb-disposal robot to recover another explosive device from a car the suspects had used, which was parked nearby.

Authorities said the devices contained TATP, a powerful explosive sometimes referred to as the “Mother of Satan” because of its destructive potential and relatively simple method of production.

Balat and Khayumi, both from Pennsylvania, were arrested Saturday and appeared in federal court Monday in shackles.

According to the criminal complaint, Balat wrote a statement while in custody declaring allegiance to the extremist group.

“All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar! Emir B,” the statement read.

Investigators said Khayumi also acknowledged being affiliated with ISIS and said he was “partly inspired” by the group to carry out the attack.

Balat reportedly told investigators he wanted to carry out an attack larger than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people.

He also told officers at the time of his arrest, “This isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the Prophet . . . We take action,” according to the complaint.

The attempted attack took place during a tense confrontation between two protest groups gathered near the mayor’s residence. A small right-wing group was holding a demonstration called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” when a larger counterprotest group, identifying itself as “Run Nazis Out of New York City,” arrived to oppose it.

During the standoff, prosecutors say the two teenagers attempted to detonate the bombs targeting the right-wing demonstration.

Officials said Balat comes from a family that immigrated from Turkey, while Khayumi’s family is originally from Afghanistan.

Mayor Mamdani condemned the anti-Islamization protest, describing it as rooted in white supremacy.

“This was a vile protest rooted in white supremacy,” Mamdani said.

However, he added that despite finding the demonstration offensive, he believed it should be allowed to take place.

“While I found this protest appalling, I will not waver in my belief that it should be allowed to happen,” he said.

The mayor publicly criticized Jake Lang, the organizer of the protest, but has not named the two suspects or ISIS directly in his statements about the incident. (Source: IANS)