Mamdani Blasts ‘Bigotry & Racism’ After Terrorist Threw Bomb in NYC, Yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’
by David Lindfield
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism after his response to a protest outside Gracie Mansion, where police say a counter-protester threw an improvised explosive device toward demonstrators.
Authorities arrested 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi after the incident on Saturday.
According to the New York Police Department, one of the suspects lit and threw a device that investigators later determined was a real explosive.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed the seriousness of the device.
“It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death,” Tisch said on X.
Video circulating online shows a suspect being arrested while repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar.”
Despite the arrests and the police description of the device, critics say Mamdani’s public statements focused primarily on condemning the protest itself rather than addressing the suspects.
Mayor Targets Protest Organizer
The demonstration outside the mayor’s residence was organized by Jake Lang and promoted under the banner “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.”
A counter-protest calling itself “Run the Nazis Out of NYC” gathered nearby.
Violence broke out between the groups before the explosive device was thrown.
In an earlier response to the event, Mamdani’s press secretary Joe Calvello condemned the original protest.