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Officials confirm devices recovered at NYC protest near Gracie Mansion were both IEDs

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Officials confirm devices recovered at NYC protest near Gracie Mansion were both IEDs

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New York City officials confirmed Sunday that two devices recovered during protests near Gracie Mansion a day earlier were improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“The FBI and NYPD confirmed the suspicious items to be improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” FBI New York wrote on X. “Additionally, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) will be conducting interviews, reviewing videos, collecting evidence, and chasing down all leads.”

A third “suspicious device” was also found Sunday afternoon in a vehicle in Manhattan in connection with the investigation, officials said.

In a statement posted to X earlier on Sunday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the department’s Bomb Squad determined the first device was neither a hoax nor a smoke bomb.

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“The NYPD Bomb Squad has conducted a preliminary analysis of a device that was ignited and deployed at a protest yesterday and has determined that it is not a hoax device or a smoke bomb,” Tisch wrote. “It is, in fact, an improvised explosive device that could have caused serious injury or death.”

WHO IS BRIAN COLE, THE DC PIPE BOMB SUSPECT?

A man throws a hand-made explosive at supporters of U.S. President Trump during a rally to stop public Muslim prayer, in New York City, on March 7, 2026.  (Eduardo Munoz/ Reuters)

At the time, Tisch said authorities were continuing to analyze a second device recovered at the scene.

Police arrested Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi on Saturday. Both remain in custody.

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Three federal law enforcement sources told Fox News that the two suspects are believed to be U.S. citizens and that one suspect allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” before igniting and throwing an IED toward the protest area.

The NYPD is working alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI through the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The incident unfolded during dueling demonstrations Saturday morning near East End Avenue and East 87th Street, just steps from Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

DC PIPE BOMB SUSPECT PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO PLANTING DEVICES AT DNC AND RNC HEADQUARTERS

The incident unfolded amid two dueling protests on March 7, 2026, near Gracie Mansion in New York City. (FNTV)

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One rally was organized by right-wing activist Jake Lang to oppose public Muslim prayer. Counter-protesters also gathered at the scene. 

Though police initially kept the groups separated, tensions escalated after pepper spray was deployed during a confrontation.

Approximately 30 minutes later, authorities say an 18-year-old counter-protester ignited and threw a device toward the protest area. Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke before it extinguished itself near responding officers.

Police say the 18-year-old then retrieved a second device from a 19-year-old, lit it, and attempted to flee. 

Both suspects – identified as Balat and Kayumi – were taken into custody.

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Three additional arrests were made on charges including disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic.

Bomb squad technicians on Saturday described the devices as jars wrapped in black tape, slightly smaller than a football. 

X-rays revealed nuts, bolts and screws inside – materials commonly used as improvised shrapnel – along with a hobby fuse that could be lit. 

‘LOUD BANG,’ DAMAGE REPORTED AT US EMBASSY IN NORWAY; POLICE INVESTIGATING

Right-wing activist Jake Lang leads a rally to stop public Muslim prayer, in New York City, U.S., March 7, 2026.  (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

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Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned both the protest and the violence in a statement posted Sunday.

“Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are,” Mamdani wrote. “What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”

He thanked NYPD officers for their response and said his administration is “closely monitoring the situation.”

The NYPD could not be immediately reached by Fox News Digital for comment.

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Fox News’ Bill Melugin and CB Cotton, as well as Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

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Maine

Maine Resiliency Center launches survey to gauge Lewiston shooting’s impact

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Maine Resiliency Center launches survey to gauge Lewiston shooting’s impact


LEWISTON (WGME) Nearly three years after the Lewiston mass shooting, the Maine Resiliency Center is asking the public to share how the tragedy has affected them and the community.

The nonprofit has launched a survey to better understand the impacts of the mass shooting in October 2023 and to help guide future support efforts.

The director of the Maine Resiliency Center said the ripple effects have spread widely and the organization wants to hear from anyone who has been affected.

“You could have been a service provider who is providing therapy or counseling for people; you could have been a funeral home director or city employee; you could be someone who lives in this community and knows somebody who is directly impacted or you could be directly impacted yourself. All of those opinions and information are really valuable to us as we look to support the broader community moving forward,” the director said.

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To take part in the survey, go to maineresiliencycenter.org.



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Massachusetts

Massachusetts man charged in N.H. and N.J. bank robberies caught in Capital Region

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Massachusetts man charged in N.H. and N.J. bank robberies caught in Capital Region


A Massachusetts man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he robbed two banks in separate states and tried to evade investigators by switching license plates—before evidence gathered in New York’s Capital Region helped lead authorities to him.

Joseph Sawyer is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from St. Mary’s Bank in New Hampshire and a Chase Bank in New Jersey last month. In both robberies, prosecutors say Sawyer fled in a Honda Odyssey minivan.

Prosecutors say the minivan originally had Massachusetts license plates, but Sawyer swapped them out with stolen New Jersey plates in an attempt to cover his tracks.

After the second robbery, highway cameras in Albany County captured the minivan as it tried to flee the tri-state area, prosecutors said. The FBI later tracked the vehicle to a motel near Glens Falls, where Sawyer was staying.

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Prosecutors also say Sawyer’s own family helped identify him through surveillance photos, linking him to the robberies.



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New Hampshire

Man From Northwood Arrested On Driving Under The Influence Charge: Concord Police Log

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Man From Northwood Arrested On Driving Under The Influence Charge: Concord Police Log


CONCORD, NH — Anthony L. Russo, born in 1996, of Northwood, was arrested at 1:04 a.m. on July 7, 2026, on a driving under the influence charge and a yellow-solid line violation. He was arrested after an investigation or incident on South Main Street.





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