A protest outside of Gracie Mansion in Manhattan on Saturday turned violent when two men lit two improvised explosive devices near a crowd that had gathered outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence. Neither of the explosives detonated, and no one was injured in the attack, which authorities are investigating as “ISIS-inspired terrorism.”
The story in New York could have been much different, however.
The devices used by the suspects during the weekend attack contained triacetone triperoxide, or TATP, an explosive nicknamed the “Mother of Satan” that terrorists have used to kill hundreds of people since 2005. TATP is especially dangerous because its materials are inexpensive and easy to access.
The U.S. government warns that even small amounts of TATP can cause major damage if detonated, and the explosive can also be packed with shrapnel — such as nuts, bolts, and screws — to increase its lethality. The devices used by two suspects in New York City over the weekend were packed with such shrapnel.
One of the suspects threw an explosive near the crowd of protesters and the other suspect dropped another device near police officers. The suspects, 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat, were quickly apprehended by authorities. The New York Post reported that one of the suspects said “Allahu Akbar” after he was questioned by investigators.
While the attack in Manhattan on Saturday has not yet been confirmed to be an ISIS attempt to kill Americans, TATP has been a primary weapon for the terrorist group for years. Since 2005, nearly 500 people throughout the world have been killed by terrorists who used the “Mother of Satan” in their attacks. Most of the terrorists who have used TATP to carry out mass killings in the past were either inspired by or part of ISIS.
2019: Sri Lanka Easter Bombings
On Easter Sunday in April 2019, ISIS terrorists used the “Mother of Satan” in bombings that targeted Christians who were worshipping in churches and at hotels throughout the small country. More than 250 people were killed in the coordinated attacks. The TATP bombs were worn by suicide bombers who pulled a strap to detonate their vests.
2017: Ariana Grande Concert Bombing
A lone suicide bomber detonated either a vest or a backpack with TATP and shrapnel at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, on May 22, 2017, killing 22, including 10 people under the age of 20. The terrorist reportedly made the bomb by himself. Authorities determined that the blast was able to kill people more than 60 feet away and was “designed to kill and maim indiscriminately the largest number of innocent people.”
2016: Brussels Airport and Train Bombings
Three ISIS suicide bombers detonated “Mother of Satan” bombs at the Brussels airport and on board a train leaving a metro station in a coordinated attack on March 22, 2016. The terrorists killed 32 people and wounded nearly 350 more. Two more attackers had planned to detonate another bomb at the airport and another at the metro station, but they fled the scenes of the bombings before carrying out their part of the attack.
2015: Paris Terrorist Attack
TATP explosives were part of the arsenal for ISIS fighters who carried out the deadliest terror attack in France’s history on November 13, 2015. Terrorists killed 130 people in six different locations throughout Paris in their attack, using semi-automatic rifles and suicide belts loaded with the “Mother of Satan.”
2005: London Bombings
Radical Muslim terrorists inspired by al-Qaeda killed more than 50 people and wounded nearly 800 in one of England’s deadliest terror attacks. Investigators believe the terrorists primarily used TATP bombs for their attack on London underground trains and a double decker bus.
As investigators continue to look into the two New York City attackers who attempted to detonate explosives over the weekend, more information about the suspects is coming to light. The two men reportedly have connections to the Middle East, but as of Monday afternoon, authorities have not tied them to any terror group. Kayumi and Balat recently spent time in Turkey, and Kayumi also flew to Saudi Arabia in 2024, the New York Post reported.
It remains unclear if the two suspects were taught how to make the “Mother of Satan” bombs or if anyone else knew about their attack. Kayumi and Balat reportedly told investigators that they had watched ISIS videos and targeted right-wingers who were protesting outside of Gracie Mansion because they believed the protesters disrespected their religion. The protest, which was organized by far-right activist Jake Lang, focused on denouncing the so-called Muslim takeover of New York City.
In a social media post on Sunday, Mamdani condemned the protest, which he said was “rooted in bigotry and racism” before he added, “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.”
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