Two ISIS Suspects Charged in New York Bombing Attempt, One a Turkish-American
By Bosphorus News Staff
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have charged two Pennsylvania teenagers with terrorism offences after they allegedly threw improvised explosive devices at protesters outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, on March 7, 2026.
Emir Balat, 18, of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, Pennsylvania, face five counts: attempted provision of material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, use of a weapon of mass destruction, transportation of explosives, unlawful possession of destructive devices, and interstate transportation and receipt of explosives.
The incident occurred during two simultaneous demonstrations outside the Upper East Side mansion. An anti-Islam protest organised by people associated with Jake Lang, a pardoned January 6 rioter and far-right influencer, drew about 20 participants. A counterprotest drew more than 100.
At approximately 12:15 p.m., Balat allegedly ignited a device and threw it toward the crowd. He then ran to Kayumi, retrieved a second device, lit it, and dropped it near a group of New York Police Department officers before being tackled and arrested. Neither device detonated.
TATP and Fragmentation Components
FBI bomb technicians who examined the devices found they were roughly the size of mason jars, each fitted with a fuse and nuts and bolts taped to the exterior to increase lethality. A preliminary analysis of the first device confirmed the presence of triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, a highly volatile homemade explosive used in terrorist attacks around the world and known among investigators as the "Mother of Satan." Authorities said the devices could have caused mass casualties had they detonated in the crowd.
A vehicle linked to Balat's family, parked several blocks from the scene, was located on March 8. Inside, investigators found hobby fuse, a metal container similar to those used in the devices, and a notebook with handwritten instructions referencing TATP and chemical components including hydrogen peroxide, sulfuric acid, and acetone.
Statements Referencing ISIS
Both suspects made statements referencing the Islamic State after their arrest, according to the federal criminal complaint and New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
As Kayumi was placed into an NYPD vehicle, body camera footage captured someone in the crowd asking why he had done it. He responded: "ISIS." At the precinct, after waiving his Miranda rights, Kayumi told investigators he had watched ISIS propaganda on his phone and that his actions were partly inspired by the group.
Balat, also after waiving his Miranda rights, asked for a pen and paper and wrote: "All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State." Investigators said he also stated he had hoped to carry out an attack larger than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. When asked whether that attack had inspired him, he replied: "No, even bigger. It was only three deaths."
NYPD Commissioner Tisch said: "This was a planned attack motivated by extremist ideology and inspired by a violent foreign terrorist organization."
Pennsylvania Storage Unit Search
The FBI conducted a court-authorised search of a storage unit in Bucks County, Pennsylvania on March 9, finding explosive residue and components believed to be connected to the Gracie Mansion incident. A controlled detonation was carried out at the site as a safety measure.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that a notebook recovered during the search showed the suspects had considered other targets, including shopping centres, and that planning for some form of attack had begun at least a week before March 7.
Surveillance footage obtained by NBC News showed Balat purchasing a fireworks fuse at a Phantom Fireworks store in Pennsylvania on March 2, five days before the attack.
Balat's Background and Istanbul Travel
Balat is a US citizen. His father, Selahattin Balat, immigrated from Türkiye and became a US citizen in 2017. According to CBS News, Balat left the United States for several months in 2025, travelling to Istanbul from May 6 to August 26, before returning to the US. Federal prosecutors have not publicly connected that travel to his radicalisation or to any overseas network.
Kayumi's parents immigrated from Afghanistan and became US citizens in 2004 and 2009.
Both suspects are from affluent suburbs north of Philadelphia. Balat was a senior at Neshaminy High School, enrolled remotely since September 2024. Kayumi had enrolled part-time at Bucks County Community College in September 2024.
Balat's attorney, Mehdi Essmidi, said his client had "complicated stuff going on" and indicated that Balat and Kayumi did not know each other before March 7. Both are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn pending bail hearings.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement: "This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens. We will not allow ISIS's poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation."
Mayor Mamdani and his wife were not at Gracie Mansion at the time of the attack.
Sourcing note: This article is based on the federal criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Department of Justice press release of March 9, 2026, and reporting by CBS News, NBC News, CNN, ABC7 New York, and Gothamist drawing from the same complaint and law enforcement press conference. Balat's Istanbul travel is reported by CBS News and has not been addressed in the DOJ's public filings.