Two in custody after ‘suspicious devices’ lit outside Gracie Mansion amid anti-Islam protest
Two in custody after ‘suspicious devices’ lit outside Gracie Mansion amid anti-Islam protest
Incident at mayor’s residence sparks security checks and ongoing investigation
Two individuals were detained following the discovery of ignited “suspicious devices” outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday. The event took place during a demonstration led by conservative activist Jake Lang and a counterprotest, according to police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. No injuries were reported, she stated.
Tisch noted that the mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and his wife Rama Duwaji were initially believed to be absent from the mansion, though the police department later confirmed Mamdani was present. A spokesperson for Mamdani, Joe Calvello, assured that both the mayor and first lady remained unharmed.
“Thankfully, the Mayor and the First Lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly,” Calvello said in a statement.
The NYPD bomb squad examined the devices, which were described as small objects less than a football in size. They appeared to be jars covered in black tape, containing nuts, bolts, screws, and a hobby fuse. Tisch said the devices’ functionality—whether they were improvised explosives or hoaxes—remains under investigation.
Protests began around 11 a.m., with participants separated into designated zones by police. Tensions rose shortly before noon when a protester from Lang’s group deployed pepper spray at counterprotesters, leading to an arrest. At 12:30 p.m., an 18-year-old counterprotester launched an ignited device toward the protest area, landing in a crosswalk and producing visible smoke and flames as it traveled.
The device struck a barrier and stopped a few feet from officers. The youth then retrieved a second device from a 19-year-old man, lighting it and dropping it on East End Avenue between East 86th and East 87th streets. Both individuals were taken into custody, though no charges had been filed as of Saturday evening.
Law enforcement officials were traveling to Pennsylvania to interview the men’s relatives and contacts. Tisch mentioned that the entire incident was captured on an NYPD surveillance camera. While no immediate link to the ongoing conflicts in Iran was identified, the FBI’s joint terrorism task force has joined the inquiry.
Lang’s rally, titled “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer,” attracted 20 participants. The counterprotest, “Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate,” peaked with 125 demonstrators. The protests were held during the holy month of Ramadan, which Muslims worldwide observe.
Calvello criticized the Lang-led demonstration as “despicable and Islamophobic,” emphasizing that the mayor had discussed the situation with Tisch. The NYPD continues to investigate the protest, counterprotest, and the suspicious devices at Gracie Mansion. Lang, who was pardoned for involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, has organized similar events recently, including an anti-immigration rally in Minneapolis following Renee Good’s fatal shooting by a federal immigration officer.
Despite Lang’s promise to burn a Quran at the demonstration site, the act was not carried out. Matt Lavietes is a reporter for NBC New York.