FBI Thwarts ISIS-Inspired Bombing Plot Targeting NYC Protest Outside Gracie Mansion

Two ISIS-inspired teenagers were indicted Tuesday for allegedly attempting to bomb a protest outside Gracie Mansion last month, with chilling dashboard camera footage capturing their casual discussion of mass casualties and targeting a right-wing agitator.

Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, hurled two homemade incendiary devices at dueling protests outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani's official residence on March 7. The explosives miraculously failed to detonate, and NYPD officers tackled Balat after spotting the bombs, according to court documents.

Planning Mass Casualties on Camera

Dashboard camera footage from their car ride from Pennsylvania to Manhattan captured the pair discussing their attack plans in disturbing detail. The recording shows them specifically targeting Jake Lang, a pardoned January 6 rioter who organized an anti-Muslim rally at the site.

"All I know is I want to start terror, bro," Kayumi allegedly said in the recording. "I want to petrify these people."

Balat responded by discussing whether authorities would ground planes over New York after their attack, then explained he was also hoping to target "the government" and "civilians also."

Kayumi detailed how he had calculated the amount of TATP explosive -- triacetone triperoxide -- to kill roughly 8 to 16 people, or as many as 60 if the area was crowded. Balat then said he "can't wait for that bomb to go off and his [Lang's] freaking head, his body to get split in half, bro, dead."

"Bro, this is so cool," Kayumi allegedly responded.

The pair also discussed a backup plan to throw explosives "in the cafe" if their primary attack failed, and Balat said he planned to "start attacking police."

Evidence of Radicalization and Planning

After his arrest, Balat told officers en route to the precinct: "This isn't a religion that just stands when people talk bad about... our prophet. We take action! We take action! If I don't do it, someone else will come and do it."

The teenager also admitted to consuming "radical content" online, according to police.

A search of their vehicle revealed a notebook filled with bomb-making instructions and an alternative plan for a terrorist attack involving a large vehicle. FBI agents searching a storage facility in Langhorne, Pennsylvania discovered explosive residue, bomb-making supplies, and a handwritten note saying "All praise is due to Allah!!! [D]ie in your rage ya kuffar!" -- using an Arabic term for non-believers.

Patel Touts FBI Success

FBI Director Kash Patel issued a statement praising law enforcement's response to the plot.

"These individuals allegedly prepared explosive devices and attempted to detonate them on the streets of New York in the name of ISIS, but their plan failed thanks to the brave police officers who acted quickly," Patel said. "We also will make sure anyone who tries to harm our citizens in the name of ISIS, or any other terrorist organization, will face justice."

Both suspects are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on federal charges. Balat's attorney declined to comment, and public defenders representing Kayumi did not respond to requests for comment.

Authorities have not disclosed how the two teenagers knew each other or how long they had been coordinating the attack. The case raises questions about online radicalization of young people and the continued threat of ISIS-inspired domestic terrorism, even as the organization's territorial control has collapsed.

The fact that the explosives failed to detonate likely prevented a mass casualty event at a protest already marked by tension between opposing groups. NYPD officers' quick recognition of the threat and immediate action to apprehend the suspects may have saved dozens of lives.