At least two people were arrested after a pair of “suspicious devices” were ignited Saturday (local time) during protests outside of 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 New York City Police Department spokesperson said no injuries were reported.
Tisch previously said that 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.”
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, where a demonstration organized by Lang drew around 20 participants.
However, tensions escalated, and shortly before noon, a protestor associated with Lang’s group used pepper spray against the counter-protesters and was later taken into custody.
An 18-year-old man allegedly 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.
Bomb squad examined the devices: Tisch
According to the NBC report, the police commissioner said, “suspicious devices” that were examined by the bomb squad, which were described as being smaller than a football, adding that they appeared to be wrapped in jars with black tape, nuts, bolts, screws, and a hobby fuse.
This is a developing story. More details awaited.
