A chaotic and violent scene unfolded outside of Gracie Mansion on Saturday, when a planned protest by the far-right influencer Jake Lang attracted a counterprotester who threw a homemade bomb during the clash.
Mr. Lang had scheduled a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” demonstration near the mansion, which is now the home of the city’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Mr. Lang showed up with a goat and about 20 followers, wearing sweatshirts that referenced the slogan on a shirt worn by slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. As the day progressed, a counterprotest grew to more than 100 people and tensions escalated.
Following Saturday’s turbulence, six people were arrested in connection with the bombs, including two men, Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Nikk Kayumi, 19, both of Pennsylvania. The two men will be prosecuted in Manhattan federal court and the charges against them will be released later on Monday, authorities said.
Mr. Lang, whose full name is Edward Jacob Lang, first gained notoriety when he was arrested and charged for using a baseball bat to beat officers who were protecting the Capitol entrance when a pro-Trump mob attacked the building on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time, Mr. Lang, who was 25 and living in the Hudson Valley, wrote that he “was the leader of Liberty today.”
After President Trump pardoned Mr. Lang and others charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riots last year, Mr. Lang built a following, and he appears to be running for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida. And Saturday was not the first time one of his demonstrations drew a counterprotest and ended in violence.
Earlier this year, he organized a protest in downtown Minneapolis that unraveled when he was chased into the lobby of a hotel by counterprotesters who threw water balloons at him. Mr. Lang had said he would burn a Quran and march through a neighborhood with a large Somali population, but did not appear to follow through.
One of the two young men arrested in the attack outside of Gracie Mansion told investigators that their motive had to do with the disrespect Mr. Lang had shown to Muslims, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
On Sunday, Mr. Mamdani condemned the violence, saying that “the attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
And at a news conference on Monday, Mr. Mamdani said that although he would protect people’s right to protest, he called out Mr. Lang’s demonstration as “vile” and “rooted in white supremacy.”
Mr. Lang and his supporters were back in front of Gracie Mansion at the news conference led by Mr. Mamdani and police commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.
Hurubie Meko is a Times reporter covering criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state courts.
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