Mayor Mamdani Holds Press Conference at Gracie Mansion with NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch Gracie Mansion 181 East End Avenue New York, NY 10128 March 9, 2026
Mamdani Denounces Anti-Muslim Protest as ‘White Supremacist’ After Bomb Plot at NYC Rally
Neither my wife nor I were home at the time.
This was a vile protest rooted in white supremacy, held under the banner “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City.” I am the first Muslim mayor of our city. Anti-Muslim bigotry is nothing new to me, and it is nothing new to the roughly one million Muslim New Yorkers who call this city home.
While I found this protest appalling, I will not waver in my belief that it should be allowed to take place. Ours is a free society, and the right to peaceful protest is sacred. It does not belong only to those with whom we agree. 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 protesters or counterprotesters.
Many of the counterprotesters responded to this display of bigotry peacefully, showing the kind of city New York strives to be — welcoming to all. But a few did not. Two men, Amir Balot and Ibrahim Caillumi, 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 showing these two individuals throwing two devices toward the protest. The NYPD has determined that these were improvised explosive devices designed to injure, maim, or worse. Thanks to the swift and decisive actions of officers at the scene, both men were immediately taken into custody, and the devices they brought were removed from our streets.
I want to commend the officers who were on site. They faced a chaotic situation that could very quickly have become far more dangerous. NYPD Chief Aaron Edwards and Sergeant Luis Navaro ran toward the danger so that others could run to safety. They are here with us now, and I want to thank them publicly today, just as I thanked them privately yesterday. I also want to thank the dozens of other officers who responded without hesitation. That is courage. That is selflessness. I am deeply grateful to them and to every member of the NYPD who works every day to keep New Yorkers safe.
As the NYPD continued its investigation yesterday, officers found a third suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st and 82nd Streets. Out of an abundance of caution, they conducted limited evacuations of nearby buildings before removing the device. Once it was removed, residents were allowed to return to their homes.
I am grateful for the continued work being done to keep New Yorkers safe.
Let me say this plainly: anyone who comes to New York City to bring violence to our streets will be held accountable under the law.
As this case continues to develop, I will remain in close communication with our police commissioner. I want to once again thank everyone who acted on Saturday to protect their fellow New Yorkers and uphold the values of this city.
Now I would like to invite Police Commissioner Tish to say a few words.
Police Commissioner’s remarks
Thank you, Mayor. Good morning, everyone.
First, I want to say that we are not at liberty to discuss many aspects of this ongoing investigation because of the pending prosecution. The suspects, Amir Balot and Ibrahim Caillumi, will be prosecuted in federal court in Manhattan, and a complaint will set forth the criminal charges and the factual allegations supporting them.
Once that complaint is made public — which I expect to happen later today — I will be able to say much more about the investigation and what we have learned. But it is crucial that we respect that process and do not get ahead of it.
That said, I can confirm this morning that this is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism.
I can also provide some additional information building on my remarks from Saturday evening. At that time, we had just begun preliminary analysis of two devices that were ignited and deployed earlier that day — one in a crosswalk at East End Avenue and East 87th Street, and the other on the west side of East End Avenue between East 86th and East 87th Streets.
That testing was carried out by the NYPD Bomb Squad and FBI special agent bomb technicians, in consultation with an FBI chemist. Preliminary test results determined that these were not hoax devices and not smoke bombs. They were improvised explosive devices that could have caused serious injury or death.
Part of our initial investigation was to determine what energetic substance, if any, had been used in the two devices. Our analysis showed that one of the devices contained triacetone triperoxide, known as TATP.
TATP is a dangerous and highly volatile homemade explosive that has been used in IED attacks around the world.
Our Bomb Squad rendered both devices safe, and explosive evidence samples are now being sent to an FBI laboratory for further testing.
Our investigation also led detectives to a vehicle connected to the suspects. Yesterday afternoon, patrol officers found that car — a black 2010 Honda with New Jersey plates — on East End Avenue between East 81st and East 82nd Streets.
Using a robot, the NYPD Bomb Squad found another possible suspicious device and materials inside the car consistent with the first two explosive devices. The area was immediately frozen and cleared. A limited evacuation of certain floors in nearby buildings was conducted while officers secured the vehicle and removed this third device, which was transported to Rodman’s Neck for further testing.
This third device tested negative for explosive material.
Once the scene was secure and deemed safe, residents were allowed to return to their homes.
We have been in a heightened state of alert in New York City since the start of hostilities involving Iran, and we remain in that posture today. We will continue to deploy additional counterterrorism resources throughout the city, including heavy weapons teams, K-9 units, aviation, and more.
The NYPD remains vigilant and determined in its efforts to ensure the safety of this city and its 8.5 million residents.
We also cannot lose sight of how serious this situation was. The last time an IED targeting people was deployed in New York City was in 2017, when Akayed Ullah detonated a device strapped to his torso in the pedestrian underpass connecting the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Times Square subway station. No one other than the attacker was injured in that incident.
Once again, we were fortunate that the devices used this weekend did not cause the kind of harm they were certainly capable of causing. But luck is never a strategy.
Devices like these have the potential to cause devastating harm, which is why the NYPD conducts thorough counterterrorism investigations and treats every incident of this kind with the highest level of urgency and care. That is why we remain vigilant.
The safety and security of the city ultimately rest on the judgment and courage of the men and women of the NYPD, and on Saturday we saw that in its truest form. When those devices were ignited in the middle of a crowded protest, officers did not step back — they stepped forward.
With me today are two of those officers: Assistant Chief Aaron Edwards and Sergeant Lewis Navaro, who ran toward a lit IED without hesitation and without regard for their own safety, acting on instinct and training to protect people they did not know and would likely never meet.
Moments like that remind us what policing truly requires. Behind every counterterrorism operation, every bomb squad response, and every emergency call that sends officers running toward danger, there are human beings making the decision to step forward when others are running away.
Chief Edwards has served as a uniformed officer for nearly 23 years and, as of December, is our newly appointed borough chief in Manhattan North. He joined the department after witnessing the heroism of NYPD officers on September 11, and on Saturday we saw that same spirit in the way he responded.
Sergeant Navaro has spent the past 11 years serving the city. He grew up between Puerto Rico and New York, eventually settling in Washington Heights and the Bronx, and joined the NYPD after a close friend encouraged him to take the exam. On Saturday, he and Chief Edwards responded with the calm judgment and professionalism that situations like this demand.
Together, they represent the dozens of officers safeguarding that protest Saturday afternoon and the nearly 35,000 members of this department who stand watch over New York City every day.
Our entire city owes them a debt of gratitude. I have said it to them many times already, and I will never tire of saying it: thank you for your service.
Sources: NYC.gov video , Big New York news BigNY.com
