Image Credit: Anadolu / Contributor / Getty Images 
The two main suspects arrested after homemade bombs were thrown at a protest in New York were “radicalized by ISIS” and recently returned to the US from the Middle East.
Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, were arrested on Saturday after an improvised explosive device was thrown outside New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s house.
Both suspects are alleged to have made pro-ISIS statements while in police custody and admitted they had watched terrorist propaganda videos.
A terrorism investigation is now underway.
Authorities are investigating the two suspects’ travel history, including visits to Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
The Daily Mail reports, “Balat’s parents were born in Turkey and reportedly became naturalized US citizens in 2017. The 18-year-old is a US citizen and neighbors confirmed he lives with his family in their massive home.
“He is understood to have travel to Turkey multiple times in the past year, with his most recent trip having occurred in January. Balat also visited the county from May 6 to August 26 last year.
“Kayumi’s parents are from Afghanistan and became naturalized US citizens in 2004 and 2009. His last known address is at a residence shared with his parents, although it is unclear if he was living at the home at the time of alleged bomb incidents.
“Kayumi was in Istanbul for multiple weeks in July and August 2024. He also went to Saudi Arabia in March that same year.”
The FBI has raided their family homes in Philadelphia.
Local television footage showed a swarm of agents descending on Kayumi’s $2.2 million home.
Six people have been arrested in connection with the incident, which took place outside Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence.
Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said two rival protests took place, one led by Jake Lang to protest the “Islamic takeover” of the city, comprising about 20 people, and a counter-demonstration led by leftists.
The counter-protesters, from a group called Stand Against Hate, significantly outnumbered Lang’s group, and according to Tisch, “lit and threw an ignited device toward the protest area.”
“Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers.”
Two individuals directly involved in the attack were arrested at the scene, and two explosive devices were also recovered.
Tisch described the devices as “a bit smaller than a football” and comprising “a jar wrapped in black tape, importantly, with nuts, bolts and screws along with a hobby fuse that could be lit.”
“We do not yet know whether the devices were a functional improvised explosive devices or hoax devices, because we don’t yet know if there was energetic material contained in them,” Tisch said.
“Both recovered devices are being transported by the bomb squad in a total containment vessel to Rodman’s neck for further testing and analysis.”
A third device was found in a vehicle nearby.
