Attempted attack at the foot of Zohran Mamdani’s home. Last Saturday, an anti-Islam demonstration, organized by a nationalist activist named Jake Lang, was held in front of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City’s mayors. The democratic councilor, the first Muslim to occupy City Hall, was targeted by a group of around twenty people, who were outraged against a “Islamization” of New York and demanded the end of “Muslim public prayers”. Neither the mayor nor his wife were present at their home at the time.
The suspects pledged allegiance to ISIS
Faced with this mobilization, around 125 counter-protesters made their anger heard. Two homemade explosive devices, containing acetone peroxide or TATP, were then launched against the anti-Islam gathering. According to an AFP correspondent, the suspect who threw this bomb shouted “Allahu Akbar”.
Although no one was injured, two individuals were arrested. An 18-year-old man, Emir B., was identified by the police as the one who threw the first projectile at the demonstrators. His alleged accomplice, Ibrahim K., 19, is suspected of having given Emir B. an explosive device that the latter was preparing to throw. Emir B. allegedly made him fall a few meters from a police cordon.
The two men are suspected of having pledged allegiance to the jihadist group Islamic State. What the New York police suggest this Monday, indicating that these facts make “investigated as an inspired terrorist act” by Daesh. Other charges were also brought, including “attempting to provide material, means and resources to a foreign terrorist organization” and “use of a weapon of mass destruction”.
The investigations were entrusted to the American anti-terrorist police. On Sunday, bomb squads had already found another suspicious device, as well as materials similar to the first two explosive devices inside a car parked near Gracie Mansion.
