Two homegrown terrorist incidents in less than a week, one in Texas and another in New York, have rocked the nation. Federal and local authorities warn that more attacks may be coming.
In New York City, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that Saturday’s attempted bombing against protesters near the mayor’s home was a terrorist attack.
“As alleged, both defendants have admitted that they acted on Saturday because of ISIS,” she said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the two suspects, Amir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, came to New York City from Pennsylvania with the intent to commit an act of terrorism at an anti-Islam protest.
“There is video of these individuals throwing two devices towards the protest,” Mamdani explained. “The police department has determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim, or worse.”
The two men were taken into police custody at the scene. Radicalized on the internet by Islamic extremism, once in police custody, the two suspects admitted they were inspired by ISIS.
Police bodycam footage captured Kayumi’s comments.
“He said, ‘This isn’t religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet. We take action, we take action.’ As well as, ‘If I didn’t do it, someone else will come and do it,'” Tisch explained.
The Justice Department’s five-count complaint against the men includes statements they made to police.
Balat wrote on a piece of paper that he “pledged allegiance to the Islamic state.”
According to police, Kayumi said that he was “Affiliated with ISIS, watched ISIS propaganda on his phone,” and that he was partly inspired to carry out his actions that day by ISIS. In addition, Balat said the two wanted to carry out an attack bigger than the Boston Marathon Bombing.
Police Commissioner Tisch confirmed the devices were IEDs – improvised explosive devices – that could have caused serious injury or death.
Police analysis showed one of the IEDs contained the substance triacetone triperoxide, known as TATP.
Tisch explained that TATP is a “highly volatile homemade explosive that has been used in IED attacks around the world. Our bomb squad then rendered safe both devices.”
As the U.S. bombing campaign in Iran expands, the FBI and New York City police are on high alert, working overtime to safeguard Americans from additional ISIS and Iran-inspired terror attacks in the days ahead.
