New york: A device thrown during a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's official residence on Saturday was an improvised explosive capable of causing serious injury or death, the city's police commissioner said Sunday. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) Bomb Squad had determined the device was neither a "hoax device or a smoke bomb."
According to Anadolu Agency, Tisch mentioned that a second device was also being analyzed. Two men were arrested at the scene and remain in custody. Mayor Mamdani attributed the protest to "white supremacist Jake Lang" and described it as rooted in "bigotry and racism." He emphasized that such hate has no place in New York City.
Mamdani expressed concern over the incident, stating, "What followed was even more disturbing," in reference to the device thrown toward protesters. He condemned violence at protests as unacceptable and labeled the use of an explosive device as "reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are." He also extended gratitude to officers for their swift response.
The investigation is being conducted by the NYPD alongside the FBI through the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, as confirmed by Tisch.
