Two suspicious devices were found Saturday outside the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The devices were found by New York City police officers during a scheduled anti-Islam demonstration near Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Officers were alerted around midday to the devices and took two “persons of interest” into custody, the New York Police Department told The Independent.
“No injuries or property damage have been reported at this time,” a department spokesperson said.
“The ‘Crusade Against Islamification’ gathering held outside Gracie Mansion today by Jake Lang, a vile white supremacist, was despicable and Islamophobic,” mayoral press secretary Joe Calvello told The Independent. “Thankfully, the Mayor and the First Lady are both safe, though the events are a stark reminder of the threats they both face regularly.”
“The Mayor has spoken with Police Commissioner Tisch, and the NYPD is actively investigating the protest, counter-protest, and suspicious devices discovered outside Gracie Mansion,” he added.
Photos from the scene appeared to show one of the devices, a round object wrapped in metallic tape. Smoke was emitting from one device, and the NYPD bomb squad is investigating, WABC reported.
The arrests took place during an anti-Islam protest led by conservative influencer Jake Lang. The far-right supporters clashed with a contingent of counter-protesters close to Gracie mansion Saturday afternoon.
One far-right protester reportedly pepper-sprayed members of the opposing group. “Four people got hit, at least,” an eyewitness told amNewYork.
Lang walked a goat through the crowd, and police later helped him exit the area.
At least six people were arrested at the demonstration, including one person for disorderly conduct and another for using pepper spray, police sources told ABC News.
Earlier this month, Lang, a January 6 rioter, was charged with making threatening statements about a police officer who was present at a fifth-anniversary event commemorating the attack on the Capitol. He was also arrested last month for vandalizing an ice sculpture at the Minnesota State Capitol protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
In January, Lang was in Minneapolis, where he led a “crusader march” demonizing Muslims. During the event, Lang was vastly overwhelmed by counter-protesters who chased him from the city’s federal courthouse and targeted him with water balloons in sub-freezing temperatures.
President Trump pardoned Lang along with most others who faced prosecution after the January 6 riot.
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