Six Arrested For Anti-Islam Protest In New York Two People Lit Suspicious Devices Outside Mayor's Official Residence

(MENAFN- Live Mint) At least two people were arrested after a pair of "suspicious devices" were ignited Saturday (local time) during protests outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City's mayor, NBC News reported.

The incident took place while an anti-Islam demonstration led by conservative influencer Jake Lang and a counterprotest were underway, police commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said no injuries were reported.

Tisch previously said she did not believe New York City's mayor, Zohran Mamdani, or first lady Rama Duwaji were inside Gracie Mansion at the time. However, the police department on 7 March clarified that Mamdani was inside the residence. His spokesperson, Joe Calvello, said the mayor and his wife were safe. In a statement, Calvello said, "Thankfully, the Mayor and the First Lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly."

Anti-Islam protest in New York

The protest led by Lang, called "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer," drew around 20 participants. The counterprotest, "Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate," saw about 125 demonstrators at its peak, officials said.

Also Read | Is New York under Zohran Mamdani going overboard with a tax-and-spend agenda?

Demonstrators initially gathered in police-designated protest areas. However, tensions escalated and, shortly before noon, a protester associated with Lang's group used pepper spray against counterprotesters and was later taken into custody.

An 18-year-old man, allegedly from the counterprotest group, lit a device and hurled it toward the protest area, where it landed in a crosswalk close to police officers. Witnesses said the object produced flames and smoke before hitting a barrier and going out a short distance from the officers, according to Tisch. Authorities said the man then reportedly received a second device from a 19-year-old, ignited it, and dropped it on East End Avenue before both individuals were detained.

Six arrested for unrest outside Mamdani's residence

According to a Bloomberg report, six people were arrested in connection with the unrest during an anti-Muslim protest outside Mamdani's residence. The incident occurred around 11 am (local time) near East End Avenue and East 87th Street. Of the six arrested, two were responsible for handling and deploying the devices, another person deployed pepper spray, and three others were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic.

Bomb squad examined the devices: Tisch

According to the NBC report, the police commissioner said the "suspicious devices" were examined by the bomb squad. They were described as being smaller than a football and appeared to be wrapped in jars with black tape, nuts, bolts, screws, and a hobby fuse.

Tisch said,“We do not yet know whether the devices were functional improvised explosive devices or hoax devices, because we don't yet know if there was energetic material contained in them.”

Investigation underway, says police

According to Tisch, there is no immediate indication that the incident outside Mamdani's residence is related to the ongoing hostilities in Iran, though she added that the investigation is still underway. Citing sources, NBC reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force has also joined the investigation.

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