6 arrested after smoke-generating suspicious device thrown during dueling protests at Gracie Mansion
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A protest outside Gracie Mansion ended with six people in police custody after suspicious devices were launched into a crowd on Saturday afternoon.
The organizers and those who showed up for the protest faced some opposition as the two sides began to argue and chaos ensued. Two people are accused of throwing a suspicious device that began to smoke.
NYPD took down a man who they say lit and threw the suspicious device near East 87th Street and East End Avenue on the Upper East Side, fueling tense moments where anti-Muslim demonstrators and counter protesters collided.
Moments earlier, police say cameras captured the suspect, a counter protester identified as Emir Balat, 18, getting a second device from Ibrahim Nikk, 18, and igniting it, sending a cloud of smoke into the air. Police arrested both suspects.
"The devices, which were a bit smaller than a football, appear to be a jar wrapped in black tape...importantly with nuts, bolts and screws, along with a hobby fuse that could be lit. At this time, we do not yet know whether the devices were a functional improvised explosive devices or hoax devices," said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
According to investigators, known agitator Jake Lang organized a 'Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City' protest with about 20 people around 11 a.m. Saturday. More than 100 counter protesters with 'Run the Nazis out of New York City's Stand Against Hate Group' demonstrated nearby.
Police were desperately trying to separate the two sides.
Shouts and fights broke out with protestors parading racist imagery. Pepper spray filled the air, sending people to their knees in tears. Police arrested four others, including the person with the anti-Muslim protest who used the pepper spray.
The chaos upended livelihoods.
"They're disturbing. More business, more business mom and pop than anything else because everything north of us is closed," said Phil Philips, owner of the Mansion Restaurant.
Philips has had a front row seat to history.
"I've been here in this restaurant my entire life, so I've watched demonstrations in the sixties, race riots - I've watched demonstrations with Vietnam," he said, "This didn't serve any purpose whatsoever other than people arguing with each other."
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's press secretary released a statement saying in part,
"The 'Crusade Against Islamification' gathering held outside Gracie Mansion today by Jake Lang, a vile white supremacist, was despicable and Islamophobic.
Thankfully, the Mayor and the First Lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly."
Mamdani was present at Gracie Mansion at the time of the protests.
Community members who were on lockdown for hours are finally breathing a sigh of relief.
No major injuries were reported.
Police are reviewing surveillance cameras to see if there was any other illegal activity and to identify those responsible.
The FBI posted on X saying,
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