Image Credit: Michael M. Santiago / Staff / Getty Images 
A protest outside the home of New York mayor Zohran Mamdani took a violent turn on Saturday after an improvised explosive device was thrown by leftists at a “far-right provocateur.”
Six people have now been arrested in connection with the incident, which took place outside Gracie Mansion, the mayoral residence.
According to police commissioner Jessica Tisch said two rival protests took place, one led by Jake Lang to protest the “Islamic takeover” of the city, comprising about 20 people, and a counter-demonstration led by leftists.
The counter-protesters, from a group called Stand Against Hate, significantly outnumbered Lang’s group, and according to Tisch, “lit and threw and ignited device toward the protest area.”
“Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke as it traveled through the air before it struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers.”
Two individuals directly involved in the attack were arrested at the scene, and two explosive devices were also recovered.
Tisch described the devices as “a bit smaller than a football” and comprising “a jar wrapped in black tape, importantly, with nuts, bolts and screws along with a hobby fuse that could be lit.”
“We do not yet know whether the devices were a functional improvised explosive devices or hoax devices, because we don’t yet know if there was energetic material contained in them,” Tisch said.
“Both recovered devices are being transported by the bomb squad in a total containment vessel to Rodman’s neck for further testing and analysis.”
No injuries were caused.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is now investigating the incident.
