Two Pennsylvania men on Saturday followed the route taken by thousands as they crossed the George Washington Bridge into New York City. But less than an hour later, their trajectory took a dark turn as they were arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home.
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, were charged Monday with providing material support to a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction, among other charges, after they threw two improvised explosive devices, also known as IEDs, during a protest, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
The men told law enforcement they were inspired by ISIS, the terrorist group that has seen a resurgence in recent years.
“This was a planned attack motivated by extremist ideology and inspired by a violent foreign terrorist organization,” New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a press conference.
The events come as the city is near the tail-end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, all while taking place outside the residence of the city’s first Muslim mayor.
As investigators look into the two men’s ties with ISIS and their motivations, here is what we know about the situation.
Credit: cnn.com
