Edward Jacob “Jake” Lang, a far right activist, instigated what many are claiming was an anti-islam protest that occurred outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence. On Saturday, March 7, Gracie Mansion faced an attempted detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) by two men, inspired by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Lang emerged as a right-wing provocateur at the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection of the US Capitol in protest of the 2020 presidential election results. When President Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he pardoned all of the Jan. 6 rioters, including Lang, who was awaiting trial on felony charges.
Lang, a self described Christian nationalist organized a small protest outside of Mamdani’s home, located on the upper east side of Manhattan, due to the fact that Mamdani is a Muslim man. Though Mamdani was not home at the time, he admitted he had known the protest was going to happen for the week leading up to March 7, also stating he would defend free speech but not violence.
Mayor Mamdani took up residence in Gracie Mansion in early January 2026. Prior to his residence, Gracie Mansion has been home to every mayor of NYC since 1942 starting with Fiorello La Guardia. The only mayor to break the trend was former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (2002-2013), who chose to remain in his personal penthouse over the course of his time in office.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch released the names Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi as the two men arrested in connection to the creation of the two IEDs in a press conference on March 9. The two men came to Manhattan from the outskirts of Philadelphia. As of March 12, Balat and Kayumi are believed to be independent actors who infiltrated the counter-protest led by Lang. Rebecca Weiner, New York Police Department (NYPD) Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, has not yet been able to rule out the possibility that they had additional help.
Following the failed attack, the NYPD discovered a third device in a black Honda on the intersection of East 81st St & East 82nd St. Once an evacuation of the surrounding buildings was complete, bomb squad units determined there was no explosive material in the unused device.
The current location of Balat and Kayumi is not public information; however, they were charged with “attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization,” according to the FBI. The Southern District of New York (SDNY) clerk’s office stated this occurred during a closed hearing on March 8. The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a statement on March 9 from the assistant Attorney General for National Security, out of the Office of Public Affairs.
“This is a sober reminder of the threat posed by ISIS and its despicable ideology. NSD will continue to use all tools at its disposal to protect this Nation and its people.”
NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards and Sergeant Luis Navarro, the two officers who tackled and detained the suspects, are being called heroes by the Mayor’s Office for their quick action during the confusion of the attack.
