Two teenagers who pledged their support to ISIS carried out an attempted IED attack in New York City a week after a gunman wearing a T-shirt emblazoned “Property of Allah” and others murdered three people in Texas, amidst growing terrorism concerns during the war with Iran.

Eighteen-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi carried out their purported pro-ISIS terrorist attack on Saturday, where they allegedly conspired to use homemade bombs to attack protesters who were staged outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home. At the start of March, shortly after the U.S. began its strikes in Iran, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne murdered three people and wounded many more before being shot and killed by police.

An FBI agent wrote in the criminal complaint released on Monday that an FBI special agent bomb technician “conducted a preliminary examination of the Devices” used by Balat and Kayumi “and determined that they were each approximately the size of a mason jar; that they each had an attached fuse; and that they each had nuts and bolts attached to the exterior, surrounded by duct tape.”

Terrorists use "the ‘Mother of Satan" as explosive

The FBI said the IEDs contained the dangerous compound triacetone triperoxide (TATP). “I know that TATP is colloquially known as the ‘Mother of Satan’; is extremely sensitive to impact, friction, and heat; and has been used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade,” the FBI agent wrote in the criminal complaint.

The IED attack occurred outside the mayor’s residence of Gracie Mansion in New York City on Saturday. A protest led by far-right influencer Jake Lang — dubbed "Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer" — was being held there, as was a counter-protest called "Run Nazis Out of New York City.”

Court records show the arrested teenagers were, in their own words, motivated to attack Lang’s protest, at least in part by their support for the terrorist Islamic State. Balat and Kayumi made their first appearance in court on Monday, and they are currently being detained. A plea hearing has not been held.

The attacks have come amidst growing reports that the Iranian government may be seeking to activate sleeper cells inside the U.S., although there is not currently direct evidence that the attacks by Balat, Kayumi, and Diagne are linked to that.

Criminal charges: supporting ISIS, use of a weapon of mass destruction, and more

FBI special agent Jennifer Gioia penned the criminal complaint against Balat and Kayumi, which was made public on Monday. The first count charged the duo with “attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization” — ISIS. The second count charged the men with the “use of a weapon of mass destruction.”

The third count was for the “transportation of explosive materials,” the fourth count was for “interstate transportation and receipt of explosives,” and the fifth count was for the “unlawful possession of destructive devices.”

The FBI agent said Balat “ignited and threw” an IED “toward the area where the protesters were gathered.” After throwing the first IED, “Balat ran to another location down the block and received a second item […] from an individual later identified as Ibrahim Kayumi, the defendant.”

The criminal complaint said that, “after apparently igniting” the second IED, Balat “dropped” it “near where several NYPD officers were standing, ran away from the NYPD officers, and jumped over a barricade. He was tackled and arrested by NYPD officers shortly thereafter.”

“After the New York City Police Department arrested them at the scene, Balat and Kayumi both made statements referring to ISIS,” the complaint said. As Kayumi was being loaded into a police car, he was asked by someone in the crowd why he had done this, and he replied, “ISIS.”

The complaint said “Balat and Kayumi also referred to ISIS in recorded post-arrest statements they made after receiving and waiving their Miranda rights.”

"All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds!” 

Balat also said in the police car that "this isn't a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet [...] We take action! We take action!" and that "If I didn't do it someone else will come and do it."

"All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds!” Balat also wrote on a piece of paper. “I pledge my allegience [sic] to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar! Emir B."

The FBI agent wrote that Kayumi also “stated, in substance and in part, that he was affiliated with ISIS; watched ISIS propaganda on his phone; and was partly inspired to carry out his actions that day by ISIS.” The complaint said additionally that Balat stated that they wanted to carry out an attack “even bigger” than the Boston Marathon bombing, which Balat lamented had only caused only “three deaths.”

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said Monday afternoon that when the two IEDs underwent a “controlled detonation” by the NYPD there was "a significant explosion." She argued that the devices would have caused "death, destruction — extremely dangerous compound and extremely dangerous place deployed.”

“We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation”

FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday that “the defendants allegedly support ISIS and tried to follow the path of that deadly group by attempting to detonate explosive devices in a crowd.”

“The FBI and our partners have no tolerance for terrorist organizations or those inspired by them to engage in attacks,” the FBI chief said.

Patel tweeted Monday afternoon that “the two subjects are in custody on federal charges, and have admitted their attack was inspired by ISIS.”
Patel said the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force “continues to investigate” alongside the NYPD, and that “multiple search warrants have been executed.”

“This was an alleged ISIS-inspired act of terrorism that could have killed American citizens,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation — our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant, as they were when these devices were brought to a protest.”

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said that “these men allegedly sought to inflict mass casualties in service to ISIS with the hope of exceeding the carnage of the Boston Marathon bombing.”

“This alleged act of terrorism, including the packing of metal shrapnel into explosive devices, reveal an intent to cause multiple deaths or serious injuries,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said. “This is a sober reminder of the threat posed by ISIS and its despicable ideology.”

Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that Balat and Kayumi “attempted to detonate two improvised explosive devices amongst the protesters” and that “after being apprehended by NYPD officers, both Balat and Kayumi stated they were aligned with ISIS.”

Mamdani holds a press conference on the attack, blaming white supremacy

Mamdani began his Monday morning press conference by first condemning the protest outside his home.

“This was a vile protest rooted in white supremacy entitled ‘Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.’ I am the first Muslim mayor of New York City — anti-Muslim bigotry is nothing new to me, nor is it anything new for the one million or so Muslim New Yorkers who know this city as our home,” Mamdani said. 

“While I found this protest appalling, I will not waver in my belief that it should be allowed to happen. Ours is a free society where the right to peaceful protest is sacred. It does not belong only to those we agree with — it belongs to everyone. I will defend that right every day that I am mayor, even when those protesting say things that I abhor. Let me also be clear about something else: New York City will never tolerate violence, whether from protests or counter-protests.”

Mamdani had also responded on Sunday by first condemning the protest led by Lang. “Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are,” Mamdani said.

The mayor continued: “What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday afternoon that “it is clear that they showed up in front of Gracie Mansion for their planned counterprotest in response to the original protest that was planned by a Jake Lang-affiliated group.”

Mamdani added: “Many of the counter-protesters met this display of bigotry peacefully, with a vision of a city that is welcoming to all. But a few did not.” At this point, Mamdani said that “two men — Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi — traveled from Pennsylvania and attempted to bring violence to New York City. They are suspected of coming here to commit an act of terrorism. There is video of these individuals throwing two devices towards the protest. The police department has determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim, or worse.”

After headlines had already moved on, Mamdani walked back his blame on white supremacists, with a Monday afternoon tweet noting that “Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi have been charged with committing a heinous act of terrorism and proclaiming their allegiance to ISIS. They should be held fully accountable for their actions. We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in our city.”

The NYPD commissioner said in the Monday morning press conference that “I can confirm this morning that this is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism.” She said that “two devices were ignited and deployed.” 

“Preliminary test results determined that these were not hoax devices nor smoke bombs. They were improvised explosive devices that could’ve caused serious injury or death,” Tisch said. “Our analysis showed that one of the devices deployed by the subjects contained the substance triacetone triperoxide — known as TATP. Now, TATP is a dangerous and highly volatile homemade explosive that has been used in IED attacks around the world.”

Tisch had said on X on Sunday that “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.”

Investigators look into potential foreign angles

The complaint said Balat “was in possession of a Turkish government identification card” with the name "Emir Balat" and a Pennsylvania driver's license with the same name when he was arrested.

The New York Post reported that Kayumi’s parents “immigrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan and were naturalized in the 2000s” while Balat’s parents “are Turkish nationals who became naturalized citizens in 2017.” The FBI agent reportedly wrote in the complaint that “Kayumi's mother filed a missing person report that stated that she last saw ‘Ibrahim Kayumi’ at their residence in Pennsylvania at approximately 10:30 a.m. earlier that day.”

A local ABC News outlet reported that “FBI agents searched the homes of 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi in Newtown and 18-year-old Emir Balat in Langhorne” in Pennsylvania on Sunday. Fox News reported that “investigators are examining their past travel, including trips to Turkey and potentially other locations known as terror training grounds.”

Tisch said Monday afternoon that “we are aware of international travel" but did not have much to add.

"Property of Allah": The terrorist attack in Austin

An apparent terrorist attack was also carried out by Ndiaga Diagne in Austin, Texas in the early morning hours of March 1, where the shooter — wearing a “Property of Allah” hoodie with an Iranian flag-themed T-shirt underneath — killed three people, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, 21-year-old Savitha Shan, and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson.

“Obviously, it's still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation. But there were indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate a potential nexus to terrorism,” Alex Doran, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI San Antonio Field Office, said the day of the shooting. “We are looking at it as a potential matter of terrorism […] It was potentially a matter of terrorism.”

Video from a parked car shows the gunman pacing in his “Property of Allah” sweatshirt and carrying and firing his rifle. Police bodycam footage shows officers soon shooting and killing the gunman. He can be seen lying on the ground in his “Property of Allah” sweatshirt with his rifle on the ground next to him.

Austin police: Ascribing motivations would be "premature"

CBS News reported that “sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News that the war in Iran, at least in part, appeared to have been a factor in the attack.”

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said on March 2 that “we see those indicators, we see the second shirt” referencing the Iranian flag. Doran said at the same press conference, however, that "any declarations on what led to that motive would be premature.” CBS News reported that “U.S. officials say Diagne was a Senegalese-born immigrant who came to the U.S. in 2000 on a tourist visa, got a green card in 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen, and became an American citizen in 2013.”

The Austin-American Statesman reported that Diagne “married a woman, Aissatou Savare, in March 2012, and moved to San Antonio from the Bronx in New York in 2017.” The outlet said Savare “filed for divorce” from Diagne in March 2022, with her lawyer saying Diagne was “guilty of cruel treatment toward petitioner of a nature that renders further living together insupportable.”

“I totally disagree and quite frankly feel insulted by the many false statements in the filing,” Diagne wrote in response. “The only reason I am here is out of care and mercy for my ex-wife or about to be ex-wife, because she knows full well in our culture and religion we do not need a marriage certificate to be husband and wife.”

“Since the night of the attack, more than 150 FBI personnel have supported the ongoing investigation into what led to Diagne’s actions,” the FBI said on Friday. “Multiple FBI field offices and FBI Headquarters divisions are providing support during the investigation.”

The bureau added that “the FBI is analyzing physical and digital evidence, conducting interviews, running down numerous leads, and providing support to victims and their families” and that “all evidence recovery efforts associated with Diagne, including his last known residence, have been completed."

The FBI said that “investigators are aggressively pursuing all leads to identify any potential associates of the subject and to better understand the circumstances and motive behind his actions.” The bureau added that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas “continues to support the investigation” and that 38 subpoenas had been served, and eight search warrants had been executed in the ongoing investigation.

Worries rise about Iranian-backed terror attacks in the U.S.

James Barnacle, the FBI Assistant Director in Charge of the bureau's New York Field Office, said at a Monday press conference in NYC that “this weekend was just another example of the elevated threat environment we are currently living in.”

“We have been in a heightened state of alert in New York City since the start of hostilities in Iran, and we remain in that posture today,” Tisch said during the Monday morning press conference. “We will continue to deploy additional counterterrorism resources throughout New York City.”

Tisch later added: “At this time, we do not have any information that connects this investigation to what is going on overseas in Iran.” ABC News reported on Monday that the U.S. government “has intercepted encrypted communications believed to have originated in Iran” which might be serving as an "operational trigger" for "sleeper assets" outside Iran, citing an alleged alert sent to law enforcement agencies by the federal government.

The alert reportedly pointed to "preliminary signals analysis" of a transmission "likely of Iranian origin" that was sent across multiple countries just following the U.S. strikes killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The transmission was reportedly “encoded” and was intended for "clandestine recipients" who have the encryption key, with the message potentially aimed at "covert operatives or sleeper assets" who might not have access to the internet or cellular service.

The alert also reportedly said that the transmissions might be "intended to activate or provide instructions to prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside the originating country.” The U.S. government alert reportedly added that "while the exact contents of these transmissions cannot currently be determined, the sudden appearance of a new station with international rebroadcast characteristics warrants heightened situational awareness.”

The alert noted that there was "no operational threat tied to a specific location" but the outlet said the alert “does instruct law enforcement agencies to increase their monitoring of suspicious radio-frequency activity.”

The Atlantic had also published a story on Monday titled, “A Mysterious Code Is Being Broadcast on Shortwave Radio. Is It Iran? The regime is overmatched militarily, but still has tools for returning fire.”

“On February 28, the day that bombs started falling on the Islamic Republic, a man’s voice began broadcasting in Farsi on a shortwave-radio frequency. He announced himself — ’Tavajjoh! Tavajjoh!’ (Attention! Attention!) — and then read a string of seemingly random numbers,” the outlet said. “Anyone with a shortwave radio could hear him. But the announcer’s intended audience was likely no more than a handful of people using a centuries-old system to decipher his otherwise incoherent message.”

The outlet added that “the eerie and still-unattributed radio transmission came from a numbers station” — a shortwave radio station often used by intelligence officers to send coded messages.

Reuters reported on Saturday that the White House has at least temporarily “halted” a “federal security bulletin warning of a heightened threat to the U.S. in light of the conflict in Iran” as the outlet cited an alleged anonymous Trump administration official.

“The bulletin from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and National Counterterrorism Center is meant for state and local law enforcement agencies,” Reuters reported. “The Trump administration asked an agency to hold the immediate release of the bulletin for review to ensure its accuracy, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government matters.” The outlet said the warning was “drafted” by DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis but that it was held up because the White House believed it “did not offer sufficient insight and was not well written.”

The Daily Mail also reported on Saturday that the proposed bulletin was titled “A Public Safety Awareness Report: Elevated threat in the United States during U.S.-Iran conflict.”

The proposed bulletin reportedly detailed “elevated threats by the government of Iran to U.S. military and government personnel and facilities, Jewish and Israeli institutions and their perceived supporters, and Iranian dissidents and other anti-regime activists in the United States.”

The outlet said the proposed bulletin warned that “radicalized individuals with a variety of ideological backgrounds also may see this conflict or other geopolitical events as a justification for violence.”

“The White House is coordinating closely with all government agencies to ensure information being disseminated is accurate, up to date, and has been properly vetted — even if that means taking additional time to review to ensure nothing is done in a vacuum,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson reportedly told the outlet.

Last summer, amidst Israeli strikes against Iran and the U.S. hitting Iranian nuclear facilities, DHS did release a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin in June 2025.

“It is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said at the time. “The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crimes.” The DHS bulletin from last June warned that “the ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States.”

“Low-level cyberattacks against US networks by pro-Iranian hacktivists are likely, and cyber actors affiliated with the Iranian government may conduct attacks against US networks,” last year’s bulletin said. “Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target U.S. Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander killed in January 2020.”

The DHS bulletin from June also argued that “the likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland” and noted that “multiple recent Homeland terrorist attacks have been motivated by anti-Semitic or anti-Israel sentiment, and the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict could contribute to US-based individuals plotting additional attacks.”

The bulletin added that “the conflict could also motivate violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators seeking to attack targets perceived to be Jewish, pro-Israel, or linked to the U.S. government or military in the Homeland.”

A similar warning has not been issued amidst the current U.S. conflict with Iran.