By Rick Sobey
Boston Herald
NEW YORK — The “ISIS-inspired terrorists” who allegedly tried to bomb a protest in New York City wanted to carry out an attack bigger than the Boston Marathon bombings, according to the FBI.
The feds have charged Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi with numerous charges — including a terror charge and using a weapon of mass destruction charge — after the weekend incident outside the mayor’s Gracie Mansion in Manhattan.
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The attack happened during a protest called “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer” and a counter-protest called “Run Nazis Out of New York City.”
After the New York City Police Department arrested the pair at the scene, they both made statements referring to ISIS, according to the FBI affidavit.
“Balat additionally stated that they wanted to carry out an attack bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing, which Balat noted caused only ‘three deaths,’ ” the FBI affidavit reads.
“Law enforcement officers later asked Balat if he was familiar with the Boston Marathon bombing, and if that was what Balat had hoped to accomplish. Balat responded: ‘No, even bigger. It was only three deaths.’ ”
On April 15, 2013, the Tsarnaev brothers planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs that detonated near the Boylston Street finish line of the Boston Marathon. Three people were killed and hundreds were injured in the terrorist attack.
In this recent incident, preliminary testing of one of the devices indicates that it contained a quantity of triacetone triperoxide — a highly volatile explosive material used in multiple terrorist attacks over the last decade.
An FBI Special Agent Bomb Technician determined that the devices were each about the size of a mason jar. They each had an attached fuse, and they had nuts and bolts attached to the exterior, surrounded by duct tape.
As Kayumi was being placed inside an NYPD vehicle to be transported, an individual from the surrounding crowd yelled to Kayumi and asked why he had done this. Kayumi responded, in part and as captured on NYPD body-worn camera footage, “ISIS.”
The pair also referred to ISIS in recorded post-arrest statements they made after receiving and waiving their Miranda rights.
Balat wrote on a piece of paper that he “pledge[d] allegience (sic) to the Islamic State” and Kayumi said he was affiliated with ISIS; watched ISIS propaganda on his phone; and was partly inspired to carry out his actions that day by ISIS.
“We have charged the two alleged ISIS-inspired terrorists who attempted to bomb a protest in New York City,” Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on Monday. “We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation. Our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant.”
This attack comes amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, as the FBI is on high alert for any threats.
“FBI personnel continue to be fully engaged across the country and prepared to mobilize any security assets needed to assist federal partners – as well as state and local law enforcement,” an FBI Boston spokesperson said in a statement. “As always, we ask the public to please report anything that may seem suspicious to law enforcement – 1-800-CALL-FBI and tips.fbi.gov.”
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