Six people were arrested Saturday after two opposing protests outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji, escalated into confrontations that included the throwing of suspected incendiary devices, according to New York City police.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the demonstrations began at about 11 a.m. near East End Avenue and 87th Street on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The area sits outside the mayor’s residence along the East River and is frequently used for protests and public gatherings.
According to Tisch, the first protest group consisted of roughly 20 people and was led by Jake Lang, whom she described as a “far right provocateur.” Participants in the group were demonstrating against what they described as the “Islamic takeover of New York City,” while also calling to “stop New York City Muslim public prayer.”
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Police said Lang brought a fully cooked pig to the protest as part of the demonstration.
A second group organized by an organization called Stand Against Hate staged a counter protest nearby. Police estimated the counter protest group had approximately 125 participants.
Members of the counter demonstration were protesting Lang’s event and calling to “run the Nazis out of New York City,” according to police.
Tisch said tensions escalated between the two groups shortly after the demonstrations began.
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At approximately 12:15 p.m., an individual associated with Lang’s protest group used pepper spray against a counter protester.
Police officers responded and arrested the person involved in the incident.
About 20 minutes later, the situation escalated again when an individual in the counter protest group allegedly threw a device toward the protest area.
Tisch identified the individual as 18-year-old Emir Balat.
Balat “lit and threw and ignited device toward the protest area,” Tisch said.
NEW MEDIA HOAX JUST DROPPED
“Devices thrown outside Mamdani’s mansion at anti-Islam protest”
Reality: The explosive devices were thrown AT anti-Islam protesters by radical Muslim jihadists shouting “Allahu Akbar”
You would never know that from the legacy media headlines! pic.twitter.com/5TSuWSFpWm
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 8, 2026
According to Tisch, witnesses reported seeing the device traveling through the air before landing near police officers.
“Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers,” Tisch said.
Police said Balat then obtained a second device from another individual nearby.
Tisch said the second individual was 19-year-old Ibrahim Nikk, who was “tentatively identified” by investigators.
Balat returned toward the protest area with the second device but dropped it before officers took him into custody.
Police arrested both Balat and Nikk as officers secured the area and requested assistance from the NYPD Bomb Squad.
Tisch said the devices recovered at the scene appeared to have characteristics commonly associated with improvised explosive devices.
According to her statement, the objects were “a bit smaller than a football” and appeared to be constructed from jars wrapped in black tape.
“Upon examination,” Tisch said, the devices “appear to be a jar wrapped in black tape, importantly, with nuts, bolts and screws along with a hobby fuse that could be lit.”
Investigators have not yet determined whether the devices contained explosive material.
“We do not yet know whether the devices were a functional improvised explosive devices or hoax devices, because we don’t yet know if there was energetic material contained in them,” Tisch said.
The devices were secured by the NYPD Bomb Squad and transported for further analysis.
“Both recovered devices are being transported by the bomb squad in a total containment vessel to Rodman’s neck for further testing and analysis,” Tisch said.
Rodman’s Neck, located in the Bronx, is a facility used by the NYPD for testing and safely detonating suspicious devices and explosives.
Authorities said the devices will be examined by specialists and then detonated as part of the investigative process.
No injuries were reported during the protest incidents, and neither device exploded.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has joined the investigation alongside the NYPD.
Officials said the information released during Tisch’s briefing is preliminary as investigators continue to review the devices and determine whether additional charges may be filed.
Police maintained a large presence in the area following the arrests to prevent further clashes between protesters and counter protesters.
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