Federal prosecutors have indicted two men accused of planning an ISIS-inspired attack last month during a counter-protest outside the home of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
According to a newly released indictment, authorities claim Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, tried to detonate two improvised explosive devices and were hoping to kill up to 60 people. But the improvised devices did not detonate and both men were quickly detained.
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Investigators claim they recovered a notebook that included plans for the attack, including instructions on how to make explosive devices. Authorities say the suspects' conversations were also recorded on a family member's dashcam as they commuted from Pennsylvania to New York ahead of the attack.
According to the indictment, one of the suspects said that he wanted "to start terror" and "petrify these people." The other suspect also allegedly said that he had "calculated" how many people they could kill.
Investigators said the men also had a backup plan to throw an explosive device into a cafe or potentially use their vehicle as a bomb if their original plan failed. According to prosecutors, the suspects made it clear in their conversations that they wanted to target the government and civilians with hopes of becoming martyrs.
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During the initial attack and arrest, one of the men expressed support for ISIS. Then when he was taken to police headquarters for questioning, he waived his Miranda rights and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Both suspects are being held without bail on charges that include attempting to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.
