FBI hunts for clues after 2 men charged with lighting bombs at NYC protest

Police detain Emir Balat after he attempted to detonate an improvised explosive device during a counterprotest against far right influencer Jake Lang staging an anti-Islam protest outside Gracie Mansion, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Julius Constantine Motal) Balat then dropped a second object near some police officers and tried to run, but was tackled and arrested, according to a court complaint.Balat and Kayumi were being held without bail after a court appearance Monday on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. Balat’s lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said outside court that his client, a high school senior, had “complicated stuff going on” in his personal life.“I believe he’s 18 and he doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing,” Essmidi said. He added that he didn’t believe Balat and Kayumi had known each other long. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there were no indications Monday that the attack was connected to the ongoing war in Iran. After Balat was arrested, police officers asked him whether he was aiming to accomplish something akin to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three people. “No, even bigger,” Balat replied, according to a criminal complaint.