FBI Conducts Court-Ordered Raids in Pennsylvania After Improvised Explosive Device were Thrown at NYC Protest — Teen Extremists Linked to Foreign Radical Networks
Federal authorities launched court-ordered raids in Pennsylvania after a violent protest in New York City escalated into a potential terror incident involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
This comes just one day after two teenage Muslim extremists hurled improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during a protest outside the mayor’s residence at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the chaos unfolded on Saturday when 18-year-old Amir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Nick, allegedly launched homemade bombs during an anti-Islam protest organized by former January 6 political prisoner Jake Lang, who was pardoned by President Trump last year.
According to the New York Post, authorities said the homemade device was constructed using sports drink bottles packed with triacetone triperoxide (TATP)—a highly unstable explosive widely favored by terrorists and often referred to as the “Mother of Satan.”
Due to its extreme volatility, officials noted that TATP can detonate with minimal disturbance and typically does not require a fuse to explode.
Miraculously, the device failed to detonate. Had it exploded, officials say it could have killed or severely injured people in the crowd.
The explosive device itself is being analyzed at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, where specialists are working to determine its exact composition and origin.
A THIRD device linked to Muslim terror suspects found—one already a confirmed IED.
Police: “Now, we’ve got a total of 3 suspicious devices…” Amir Balat and Ibrahim Nikk arrested.
This is on Mayor Mamdani. pic.twitter.com/nkY0R7z3vb
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 9, 2026
Video footage captured the second suspect, Ibrahim Nick, screaming “Allahu Akbar!” as he was arrested outside Gracie Mansion, the residence of far-left New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the arrests of Balat and Nick, along with four other unidentified counter-protesters from the pro-Islam side.
“The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb. It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.
Further analysis will be conducted, including on a second device.
Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi were arrested on scene yesterday and are in custody in connection with this matter. The NYPD is working on this investigation with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI through our Joint Terrorism Task Force.
I want to again thank the brave members of the NYPD who ran towards the danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.”
The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb. It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or…
— Jessica S. Tisch (@NYPDPC) March 8, 2026
But now, federal authorities are digging deeper, revealing that these aren’t just misguided kids, they’re part of a broader network with alarming links to foreign radicals.
Fox 29 reported:
The FBI and local police are investigating two Bucks County homes Sunday afternoon in connection with protests in New York City on Saturday where two people were arrested for allegedly trying to set off improvised explosive devices.
Officials are serving warrants at two homes in Bucks County — one near Durham Road and Frosty Hollow Road in Middletown Township, the other near Stoopville Road and Clymer Street in Newtown Township.
Officials said there was no threat to the public at either location, but asked that people stay away from the areas while teams investigated.
Law-enforcement sources say both suspects had become self-radicalized in recent years and had consumed extremist propaganda online.
Investigators believe the pair also traveled internationally, including trips to Turkey and other regions that have historically served as transit points for jihadist networks.
The suspects allegedly admitted they carried out the attack after becoming enraged by protesters they believed had insulted their religion, according to the Post, citing sources close to the investigation.
Authorities are now working to determine whether the suspects were connected to larger extremist networks or operating independently.
Investigators are looking into the overseas travel for Balat and Kayumi. Balat left the U.S. for several months and traveled to Istanbul from May 6 to Aug. 26, 2025. He most recently traveled back to the U.S. from Turkey in January of this year. Meanwhile, Kayumi traveled to Istanbul for several weeks in July and August 2024 and to Saudi Arabia in late March of that year.
Federal investigators have also been interviewing family members of Balat and Kayumi as part of their investigation, as well as looking at their online communications.
Balat’s parents were born in Turkey and were naturalized as U.S. citizens in 2017. Balat is
a U.S. citizen and has been living with his family in a large two-story home in Pennsylvania. A woman at the residence confirmed to CBS Philadelphia that Balat lived at the house.
Kayumi’s parents are originally from Afghanistan. They became naturalized U.S. citizens in 2004 and 2009. It is unclear if Kayumi was living with them at the time of the incident Saturday.
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