Those plucky ISIS kids
Well, they aren’t exactly kids. But they’re pretty young – eighteen and nineteen years old, children of naturalized citizens from Turkey and Afghanistan. In their copious free time they constructed – or purchased, or were furnished with – an IED, and proceeded to travel from Pennsylvania to NYC to throw the device at some anti-Mamdani, anti-Islamification protesters at New York’s Gracie Mansion.
The MSM has done its best to obscure the facts and make the reader think, at least for a while, that it was the anti-Islamification protestors who threw the bomb. But more about that in a moment.
The two bombers are now in custody. The bombs were serious devices. From PJ Media:
In case you missed it, on Saturday, March 7, an anti-Islam protest gathered outside Gracie Mansion — the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — when two homemade improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were thrown toward the protesters.
The devices contained triacetone triperoxide or TATP, a volatile homemade explosive often called “mother of Satan,” as well as nuts, bolts, and screws. They were ignited but failed to fully detonate, creating smoke and chaos. …
The suspects are 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi, both of whom are from Pennsylvania. They were arrested shortly after the incident. Both the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force called it “ISIS-inspired terrorism.”
According to Balat’s statement to law enforcement, he wanted to carry out an attack that was bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing.
Fortunately they weren’t all that competent at bomb-making or at least at bomb-igniting and/or bomb-throwing. At the precinct Balat waived his Miranda rights and wrote the following:
All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds! I pledge my allegience [sic] to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar! Emir B.’
Maybe he’s hoping for some of the Mangione/Tsarnaev-type adulation from the young ladies.
And what of the protesters who were the targets? I was driving somewhere yesterday listening to the radio, and when the news came on at the top of the hour, the newsreader described the protesters as “far-right.”
So I became curious: what was actually being protested? It seems to have been not so much Islam as what the protesters call the takeover of New York by Islam. They seem to be quite theatrical; some of their festivities involved a roast pig and a live goat which the organizer, a man named Jack Lang, referred to as, “Mamdani’s second wife.” Lang also was one of the people found guilty for acts committed on J6 and later pardoned by Trump (see this). He also said:
He told a Daily News reporter that he wanted to “stop the Muslim prayers that are happening in New York City.”
“They’re humiliation rituals for the white Christian men in the city,” he added.
Not for the black Christian men? Not for the Jewish men? Not for the white, black, Christian or Jewish women? At any rate, the Muslim calls to prayer in New York are no joke. The situation sounds awful:
A tweet making the rounds this week shows video of the Islamic call to prayer, the Adhan, echoing through New York City streets at dawn. Five in the morning. Amplified. Projected over neighborhoods that still carry the scars of September 11, 2001. That date is not ancient history. It is living memory. …
The United States protects religious liberty. That includes Muslims. The First Amendment is not selective. And it should not be. But freedom of religion is not the same thing as forced participation in someone else’s religious proclamation.
The Adhan is not ambient background music. It is a declaration. The phrase “Allahu Akbar” means “God is greatest.” It is a theological claim. It is a call to submission. Practicing Muslims understand this. That is not controversial. That is simply fact.
As for the teenaged perps, here’s more information:
An automated license plate reader captured the pair entering New York City from New Jersey less than an hour before the attack, according to the complaint.
Their vehicle – registered to one of Balat’s relatives – was discovered Sunday a few blocks from where they were arrested.
A search of the car turned up a ‘hobby fuse’ and a metal can, along with a written list of chemical ingredients and components that could be used to build explosives, the complaint said.
When police detonated the devices, there was a ‘significant explosion,’ NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner said.
The devices – which did not explode when Barat hurled them into the crowd – would have caused ‘death, destruction, an extremely dangerous compound, and an extremely dangerous place deployed,’ she added. …
Barat, whose parents were born in Turkey and reportedly became naturalized US citizens in 2017, lived with his family in a $653,000 home in Langhorne.
Two men and a woman were taken into custody at the 3,200-square-foot, two-story residence, WPVI reported. …
At least 10 agents stormed Kayumi’s parents’ $2.25 million home in Newtown on Sunday, footage captured by WCAU showed.
One man was detained at the sprawling 5,800-square-foot home, which boasts six bedrooms and five bedrooms.
Charges have not been brought against the individuals who were detained at the respective residences.
Kayumi’s parents are from Afghanistan and became naturalized US citizens in 2004 and 2009.
The suspected bomber was in Istanbul for multiple weeks in July and August 2024. He also went to Saudi Arabia in March that same year.
Balat also traveled to Turkey multiple times in the past year, with his most recent trip having occurred in January.
That’s a whole lot of traveling by these two kids of what one might call “privilege,” using one of the leftists’ favorite words. But the left won’t be saying that about them, because the left is determined to hide what’s going on here as best they can.
There are many articles about the ways in which the MSM and Mamdani have done this, but the gist of it is to carefully choose words that make it seem as though it was the protesters doing the bomb-throwing and the target may even have been Mamdani. Or, the pair of bombers is treated as just some high-spirited youths having a bit of fun as they strike out at Islamophobes. You can read about these press approaches here, here, and here. From the latter, quoting a CNN article that has since been deleted:
“Two Pennsylvania teenagers crossed into New York City Saturday morning for what could’ve been a normal day enjoying the city during abnormally warm weather.
But in less than an hour, their lives would drastically change as the pair would be arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home. Here’s what we know so far.
Due to heavy criticism, CNN deleted the post and wrote:
A post regarding the two individuals arrested for throwing homemade bombs outside of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home failed to reflect the gravity of the incident thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting. It has therefore been deleted.
The article was no accident and no rogue event. It was part and parcel of the usual slanted coverage we’ve all noticed for decides.
As for Mamdani, this was a more recent effort, which was at least somewhat better than his first efforts. You can see what the emphasis still was:
On Saturday, a protest was held outside Gracie Mansion, where I live with my wife, Rama. Neither of us were home at the time. This was a vile protest rooted in white supremacy entitled, “Stop the Islamic takeover of New York City.” I’m the first Muslim mayor of our city. Anti-Muslim bigotry is nothing new to me, nor is it anything new for the 1 million or so Muslim New Yorkers who know this city as our home. While I found this protest appalling, I will not waver in my belief that it should be allowed to happen. Ours is a free society where the right to peaceful protest is sacred. It does not belong only to those we agree with. It belongs to everyone. I will defend that right every day that I am mayor, even when those protesting say things that I abhor.
Let me also be clear about something else. New York City will never tolerate violence, whether from protests or counter protests. Many of the counter protesters met this display of bigotry peacefully, with a vision of a city that is welcoming to all. But a few did not. Two men, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, traveled from Pennsylvania and attempted to bring violence to New York City. They are suspected of coming here to commit an act of terrorism. There is a video of these two individuals throwing two devices towards the protest. The Police Department has determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim or worse. Thanks to the swift and decisive actions of NYPD officers at the scene, both men were immediately taken into custody, and the devices they brought taken off of our streets.
I wonder if Mamdani has ever been confronted with a hostile crowd/mob. How would a hostile crowd react to his word spins?
Freedom of religion is for citizens, freedom from Islam is the problem.
Indicted by DOJ as DOJ doesn’t trust the county attorney (Alvin Bragg) to do a decent job charging and convicting these two.
Islam is not a race, so the “white supremacy” charge is nonsense. What isn’t nonsense is the blaring of the Muslim call to prayer at high volume five times a day. The adhan is a declaration of Muslim supremacy, and as such is offensive to those of other faiths, or of no faith. It is unacceptably intrusive blasted out on loudspeakers.
This adhan in the USA B.S. started in Dearborn (astan) IIRC. Camel’s nose under the tent, is real.
How New York City got a million Muslims, including the fine upstanding young men here, and a Twelver Shia mayor, is fundamentally through poorly-thought out immigration policy, the vast majority of it legal immigration.
Why I am not a constitutional absolutist. Muslims need to be deported. All of them. We are so damn soft. Like chewed bubblegum.
Democrats are strangely silent about the collusion between the state, in this case New York City, and religion.
If there was a book solely dedicated to political hypocrisy, Democrat hypocrisy would populate most of the pages.
Ring church bells, amplified, when they do their ‘adhan’. Muslims hate that.
It should always be mentioned that Islam is not a religion. It is a political project masquerading as a religion.
And it should always be asked of Mamdami and his ilk, ‘When you achieve supremacy and conquer us, where are you going to locate the slave markets?’
Islam is not a religion, it is a barbarian horde raping and pillaging civilization.
The plucky ISlS teenagers just didn’t lear the basic bomb making skilz of fuzing. They meant well, eh, CNN?
But then the media template was used more successfully with the Magione murderer. So why stop?
As is often said on InstaPundit, you can’t loathe the media as deeply as is deserved.
@Kate
Islam is not a race, agreed, but that doesn’t mean Jake Lang is incorrectly described as white supremacist, especially with how flexible the term is as the press uses it. Mind, in this context it might be more pertinent that he thinks the US ought to be dominated by Christians and whites and not afraid to act in the nation’s own interests.
He’s also a clout-chasing goblin, pulling one stunt after another in the hope of getting his message into the mainstream media.
Islam is an ideology with a thin veveesr os sacredness. Imagine naziiism with the promise of heaven for killing Jews
I keep waiting for the outrage that the alleged perps “CROSSED TWO STATE LINES” in commission of their crimes.
Their frags were mostly peaceful.
Why are any of these people in the USA? They do not belong here. They are not here to assimilate.
Boobah, I don’t support Jake Lang or any other racial supremacist.
But non-racist ordinary New Yorkers, of all varieties, should be protesting the blaring of the Muslim supremacist call on loudspeakers throughout the city. They should also protest the blocking of public streets or walkways for Muslim prayers, another supremacist tactic.
A short 25 years ago,Muslims killed 3000 New Yorkers. And now they have elected a Muslim as mayor.
I kinda hope the Rastafarians start blaring out Bob Marley & other reggae music at the same volume, but from hundreds of boom boxes.
Grok notes that private music sounds have specific limits over the background, but there is an exemption for religious buildings, bells & organs & amplified prayer calls. With no specific limits but a vague according to standards judgement.
Likely this is the beginning of sound regulation for religious prayers & bells & music. Soon to be more strongly applied against church bells than against Muslim prayers.
The MSM keeps obscuring the targets of these bombs, emphasizing the location (Gracie mansion), as if Mamdani, rather than the anti-Islamicization protestors and the police, was at risk. Mamdani, of course, adds to that with his proclamations condemning Islamophobia as opposed to jihadism.
Grandpageumbler
Americans refuse to see and have no courage. They view the call to prayer as a noise issue. Muslims view it as a subjugation issue. Of which culture is stronger and which is weaker. Islam cannot co exist with any other culture. It’s not that we can’t learn. We simply refuse.
Richard Cook,
I agree with your comment.
Mamdani is a smiling, “good Muslim.” He’s against Trump, racism, and Islam-phobia.
Muslims have strong faith in their god. I suspect that the non-Muslims who voted for Mamdani have only weak faith, if any.
Maybe another 9/11 would awaken them, but maybe not, because they are suffering from brainwashing and Stockholm Syndrome.
I have attempted to discover how the bombers’ parents accumulated the finances necessary to live in their rather nice homes in rather nice neighborhoods. A 2.25 million dollar home usually doesn’t just drop out of the sky. Not that I have my suspicions, but immigrant Afghans are not known to arrive with either 1) a lot of money or 2) highly marketable skills. Inquiring minds want to know.
This is how it works
https://x.com/mr_james_c/status/2031670381254173069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2031670381254173069%7Ctwgr%5Ef03a3805196876c85aaca47cc985a396424177bb%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstapundit.com%2F781934%2F
@Steve:I have attempted to discover how the bombers’ parents accumulated the finances necessary to live in their rather nice homes in rather nice neighborhoods. A 2.25 million dollar home usually doesn’t just drop out of the sky.
Lots of people who have houses that expensive didn’t pay that for them but lived in them for many years. Link is to house in Bellevue, WA that is on the market today for $2.1 million, originally purchased in 2014 for $385 K. A person who made less than $100 K in 2014 could have qualified, perhaps under a special program, for a mortgage to buy that house, and their salary wouldn’t necessarily have gone up by a factor of 5 just because the value of their house did.
but immigrant Afghans are not known to arrive with either 1) a lot of money or 2) highly marketable skills.
How many Afghan immigrants do you actually know? If they were corrupt functionaries in Kabul they might have plenty of money and connections that enabled them to move here. Many Afghan immigrants worked for the US government as translators or what have you and do have marketable skills. Whatever the “average” is for Afghan immigrants generally, there’s no reason to be incredulous that these particular Afghans are different from the average.
Compare the “average” Chinese or Indian immigrant in your mind with those who bought all the expensive real estate in Vancouver, BC. Or Zohrani Mamdani with the “average” immigrant from Uganda.
A textbook example of how the progressive left runs cover for Islam:
https://instapundit.com/media-cant-hide-the-truth-about-gracie-mansion-bomb-attempt/#disqus_thread
How many would he have to know to give a valid statistical assessment of the income of Afgan or Turkish immigrants who became naturalized American citizens during the time of interest?
Otherwise you just have a different ‘opinion’ Nick. Nothing more.
Another “nothing to see?”
Niketas:
I know something about real estate in the Seattle/Bellevue area, and whatever is going on with that house, it’s WAY over the appreciation for the time period in that area. Homes did appreciate very significantly, but nothing like what you quote there. Perhaps it was a fixer-upper and then it was very much fixed up.
Here is AI Google, which pretty much reflects what I recall in the area also:
The quote you gave is an appreciation of 545%, by my calculations. I don’t think there’s anywhere in the US where anything like that happened between 2014 and now.
@neo:whatever is going on with that house, it’s WAY over the appreciation for the time period in that area.
Yeah, it is way over the average. It was just one of the first ones that came up when I looked at what was on the market. But that distribution’s average tells you nothing about the variation from the average, of course, which is quite considerable, and which is why people make money in real estate.
Perhaps it was a fixer-upper and then it was very much fixed up.
Which is hardly unheard of, especially in an area with surging home prices.
At any rate, normal people do own normal homes valued in the millions of dollars, depending on where they live and when they bought. My own home is not in as pricey an area as Bellevue, nonetheless it has gone up 2.5x in value since I bought it 12 years ago, and the equivalent in Bellevue would be between 1 and 2 million, and no one needs to suspect anything nefarious of me or my neighbors.
The houses on in the 200 block of Tina Drive in Langhorne PA appear to be more in the $600K – $800K range.
Anyway, “kids” like this who come from middle class families with homes valued between $500K and $2.5 million and who like to throw bombs and incendiary devices are a dime a dozen in the Portland OR metro area. Maybe we’ll find that they’re part of a intergenerational terrorist sleeper cell with lots of funding, but right now they look more like radicalized teenagers from families of modest privilege, which we’ve been seeing a lot of over the last few years.
Another unsourced speculation, but, whatever.
This pair are getting the Mangioni treatment. Not, heaven forfend, the Nick Sandmann slander
Niketas:
I doubt there is any home in the US that appreciated that much, in that period, without being significantly fixed up (or even torn down and rebuilt on the same land) for a huge amount of money. Doubled, yes. Perhaps even tripled in rare cases. But not that amount. The terrorist’s paretns’ $2 million-plus home was in Newtown, PA. Here’s what the appreciation was there, according to Google AI:
.
So it approximately doubled in price since 2017, or they may have put money into improving it. Either way, it’s a pricey home.
However, they came here about 20 years ago and certainly could have been successful enough by 2017 to buy that home without engaging in any shady activity, especially if they bought a home earlier that had appreciated significantly when they sold it.
More on their history:
More at the link. Their wealth comes from operating the business and a series of successful real estate investments, not just that one house. There seems to be no evidence of illegality on their part.
Richard Aubrey:
You noticed that too. They were intending to kill kuffar and police so of course a righteous cause. (sarc x 11).
If their mostly peaceful devices had worked would they have produced more than Tsarnaev results?
According to A I Duck II
Those plucky ISIS teens could easily have become pink mist.
@neo:I doubt there is any home in the US that appreciated that much, in that period, without being significantly fixed up (or even torn down and rebuilt on the same land) for a huge amount of money.
I’m not saying different.
However, they came here about 20 years ago and certainly could have been successful enough by 2017 to buy that home without engaging in any shady activity, especially if they bought a home earlier that had appreciated significantly when they sold it.
This is all I intended to say. The random example of a home that was the first thing I saw on Zillow happened to be an extreme example. Next time I try to illustrate something with a real example I will try to find something more typical to avoid the distraction. I used to work with real estate investors and so I am not surprised when I see such things, which are, I agree, not typical.
That a family of Afghan immigrants can come to the US and own, in 2026, a $2.3 M house is not on its face a reason to suspect them of anything, and you and I seem to be on the same page here.