Two people were taken into custody Saturday after “suspicious devices” were found outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Gracie Mansion residence during an anti-Islam rally held by pardoned Jan. 6 insurrectionist Jake Lang.
The New York City Police Department told JS in an email that authorities “were alerted to two suspicious devices at the location.” The NYPD did not state whether the devices came from those participating in the anti-Islam rally or from counterprotesters.
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It’s unclear if Mamdani or his wife, Rama Duwaji, were home at the time. However, police said “no injuries or property damage have been reported at this time.”
“Two persons of interest were taken into custody and the investigation remains ongoing,” the statement continued.
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The incident occurred during an anti-Islam rally hosted by Lang, a right-wing provocateur running for U.S. Senate who called on “NYC CHRISTIANS” to stand “AGAINST THE ISLAMIFICATION OF NYC & AMERICA & ALL OF EUROPE!!!!”
Lang told followers on social media that he just “survived an assassination attempt” by “two Muslim men.”
“The homemade bomb they threw landed 3 feet in front of me,” Lang posted. “The detonator failed to ignite, because God is on the throne of my life. We will never surrender to Islam.”
The rally, held during Ramadan, featured Lang hosting a pig roast in an apparent reference to Islam forbidding the consumption of pork, The New York Daily News reported. It soon erupted into fights between the anti-Islam protesters and counterprotesters outside Mamdani’s home.
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The chaos turned physical as Lang stepped out of a U-Haul carrying a goat, AMNY reported. At one point, a far-right protester began pepper-spraying people. One witness told the outlet they saw pepper spray “flying” with “little children” right next to it.
“Four people got hit, at least,” the witness said.
Lang has attended multiple rallies following his pardon by President Donald Trump. In January, he said that he was stabbed by a counterprotester at a pro-ICE rally in Minneapolis, but shielded from injury by a protective vest. Minneapolis police said at the time that no report had been filed.
