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The NYPD has cordoned off a tony Manhattan block near the mayor’s residence amid a continuing probe into a potential terror plot involving improvised, ISIS-style bombs.
“Due to ongoing police activity, please avoid the area of East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street in Manhattan,” the NYPD wrote on X on Sunday.
According to two NYPD sources, the activity is connected to the investigation into devices that were recovered in connection with dueling protests outside Gracie Mansion on Saturday.
As of Sunday evening, three devices have been recovered, but only one has been confirmed as an IED, a federal source told Fox News.
Earlier Sunday, city officials said the confirmed device was capable of causing “serious injury or death.”
Three federal law enforcement sources told Fox News that one suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before igniting and throwing the IED into a crowd.
Police arrested Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi at the scene.
The incident unfolded Saturday morning near East End Avenue and East 87th Street, steps from Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
One rally was organized by right-wing activist Jake Lang to oppose public Muslim prayer. Counter-protesters also gathered nearby. Although police initially kept the groups separated, tensions escalated after pepper spray was deployed during a confrontation.
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Approximately 30 minutes later, authorities say an 18-year-old counter-protester ignited and threw a device toward the protest area.
Police say the 18-year-old then retrieved a second device from a 19-year-old, lit it, and attempted to flee. Both suspects were taken into custody.
The devices thrown near Gracie Mansion were allegedly charged with TATP (triacetone triperoxide), retired NYPD inspector Fox News contributor Paul Mauro told Fox News Digital, citing multiple sources.
“[TATP] is a favorite of real terrorists, and not something two street-level knuckleheads would likely produce,” Mauro said. “This was no M-80 wrapped in nails and tape. It’s very hard to detect, very powerful, and extremely unstable.”
The NYPD Bomb Squad X-rayed two of the devices and rendered them safe. They are now being transported to Quantico for further analysis, Mauro said.
He also noted that a vehicle registered to a relative of one of the suspects was located in the Upper East Side area.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has not issued a public statement about the bomb incident, but condemned protester Jake Lang, who he called a “White supremacist.”
“Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are,” Mamdani said.
Lang claims the bombs were thrown at him and his supporters by pro-Islam protesters.
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Fox News’ CB Cotton and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
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