New York: Police detained 18-year-old Amir Balat after he threw smoking, ignited devices outside NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Gracie Mansion residence amid a far-right protest against alleged "Islamification."
The incident unfolded Saturday as influencer Jake Lang rallied about 20 supporters calling for an end to "public Muslim prayer." Counterprotesters outnumbered them 125-20.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the football-sized devices—jars wrapped in black tape, packed with nuts, bolts, screws, and a lit hobby fuse—billowed smoke and flames near police lines. X-rays suggest possible explosives, but functionality remains unclear.
There was no indication the incident was related to the ongoing hostilities in Iran, she added.
Balat, wearing a dark hoodie and cargo pants, took a smoking device from an activist, dropped it near officers after vaulting a barrier, then hurled a second near Lang's group before police nabbed him and his associate.
The counterprotester shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he acted, witnesses said.
Counterprotester Mia Kurzer, 23, told AFP: "Showed up because we have to show that hate has no place in our city. We democratically elected a mayor who is Muslim -- and that's New York. We have different cultures, and we have to celebrate those cultures." She called Lang "an idiot" who underestimates locals.
Another Counterprotester Wally Khan noted Lang's pattern: "This is very in line with what he does from city to city. He tried to burn a Quran in...Dearborn."
Police arrested a Lang protester for pepper-spraying counters, plus three others for disorderly conduct. Tisch said Mayor Mamdani, who is Muslim, was not home.
(Inputs from IANS)