Last weekend, New York City may have avoided a tragedy after police intercepted a potentially lethal improvised explosive device thrown during a heated protest outside the mayor’s residence at Gracie Mansion, per investigators' report.

The New York Post reported the explosive was allegedly tossed by two teenagers, a 19-year-old Ibraham Kayumi and an 18-year-old Emir Balat. Authorities say the pair were self-radicalised extremists who had been deeply immersed in ISIS propaganda online. Investigators also believe they had travelled through known terror-training routes spanning Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Australia.

Police sources say the device was a homemade explosive containing triacetone triperoxide, also known as ‘Mother of Satan.’ The substance has been used in several deadly terror attacks in Europe and is feared because it can be assembled from materials easily obtained in ordinary hardware stores.

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Experts say the explosive is favoured by extremist groups because it is cheap, extremely volatile and highly destructive. If detonated, it could kill or seriously injure anyone in the immediate vicinity.

What happened on Saturday afternoon

On Saturday afternoon, outside Gracie Mansion, where right-wing activist Jake Lang had organised an anti-Muslim protest. Amid the shouting, scuffles and flying fists, police say a sports drink bottle wrapped in tape was hurled toward Lang’s group. Investigators later discovered that the bottle had been packed with the TATP explosive.

“It’s designed to maim and kill. This is just luck, no one is dead," an investigator told The NYP.

Officers at the scene reacted quickly, securing the device before it could detonate. Bomb squad specialists later confirmed the seriousness of the threat.

“It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “I want to again thank the brave members of the NYPD, who ran towards danger without hesitation and quickly apprehended the suspects.”

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As of writing this article, six people were arrested, including the two alleged bombers and another protester, Ian McGinnis, who was accused of spraying pepper spray during the confrontation.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani also reacted strongly to the incident, condemning Lang’s rally and calling it “white supremacist,” while adding that New York “has no room for hate.”