2026 New York City protest bombing attempt

2026 New York City protest bombing attempt
The east front of Gracie Mansion
Location40°46′35″N 73°56′37″W / 40.776288°N 73.943634°W / 40.776288; -73.943634
Gracie Mansion, New York City, US
DateMarch 7, 2026 (2026-03-07)
Attack type
Attempted bombing
WeaponsTwo homemade bombs
Deaths0
Injured0
MotiveUnder investigation, suspected ISIS inspiration
ChargesTerrorism

An attempted bombing occurred on March 7, 2026, outside of Gracie Mansion, the residence of the New York City mayor, in the Yorkville neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Two men, inspired by ISIS, from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, allegedly attempted to detonate two bombs in a crowd of people attending the "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City" protest held by American far-right activist Jake Lang.[1][2] Both bombs failed to detonate, and no one was injured in the attack.[3]

Investigation

On March 9, 2026, at a city press conference including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the attack was being investigated as an "act of ISIS-inspired terrorism". Tisch identified two suspects from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, one from Langhorne and the other from Newtown, who were taken into custody.[1] Two additional devices were identified at the scene—one dropped by a suspect on the run and one in a parked vehicle a few streets south of the residence.[4][5] In addition, federal charges were brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York against the two men including "material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization".[1]

Investigators say the attackers were inspired by the Islamic State and wanted the incident to be deadlier than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.[6] Police recovered a notebook from the attackers which had alternative targets such as shopping centers.[7]

Reactions

Speaking about the incident, Mayor Mamdani first called the rally itself that had been attacked "appalling". He praised the counter-protestors, which were larger in number than the number of protesters, according to authorities.[8] He then condemned the incident, saying, "Many of the counter-protesters met this display of bigotry peacefully. A few did not. Two men [...] traveled from two different towns in Bucks County and attempted to bring violence to New York City." He also commended the quick action of the NYPD officers and spoke in support of the right to free speech, saying the "right to peaceful protest is sacred. It does not belong only to those we agree with."[1][8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mann, Brian (March 9, 2026). "Attempted attack with explosives in New York City investigated as "ISIS-inspired terrorism"". NPR. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
    At Monday's press conference, Mayor Mamdani condemned the original protest as inspired by "bigotry" but he described political violence as unacceptable.
    "Many of the counter-protesters met this display of bigotry peacefully," Mamdani said. "A few did not. Two men, Amir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, traveled from Pennsylvania and attempted to bring violence to New York City."
    Mamdani and Tisch both praised NYPD officers who responded quickly following the alleged attack, preventing further attempts at violence and helping capture the two suspects.
  2. ↑ "Counterprotester threw improvised explosive at anti-Islam event in NYC, police say". AP News. March 8, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  3. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin; Marcius, Chelsia Rose; Goldberg, Emma; Rashbaum, William K. (March 9, 2026). "Mamdani Live Updates: Police Say Gracie Mansion Incident Inspired by Islamic State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ Hartman, Trish; Gallagher, Bryanna (March 9, 2026). "Complaint says Bucks County men who brought explosives to NYC said they were inspired by Islamic State". WPVI-TV. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  5. ↑ Morrell, Jason K.; Judd, Alan (March 9, 2026). "Pair charged with ISIS-inspired attempted bombing outside NYC mayor's home". Straight Arrow News. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  6. ↑ Millman, Jennifer (March 9, 2026). "Recap: Bigger than Boston? Gracie Mansion bomb attempt complaint unsealed". NBC New York. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ "ISIS-inspired suspects considered other targets before Gracie Mansion protest: sources". ABC7 New York. March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Luscombe, Richard (March 9, 2026). "Two teens charged over 'Islamic State-inspired' attack outside Mamdani home". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 9, 2026. Retrieved March 13, 2026.
    Many of the counter-protesters met this display of bigotry peacefully with a vision of a city that is welcoming to all, but a few did not."
    "Anti-Muslim bigotry is nothing new to me, nor is it anything new for the one million or so Muslim New Yorkers who know this city as our home. While I found this protest appalling, I will not waver in my belief that it should be allowed to happen.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.