Jake Lang alleges ‘assassination attempt’ as bombs thrown near Mamdani home during anti-Islam rally

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Chaos unfolded near the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after a protest led by conservative activist Jake Lang spiraled into violence.

The incident happened on Saturday, March 7, when Lang and his supporters gathered near East End Avenue and East 87th Street.

What began as an anti-Muslim protest quickly turned tense as counter-protesters showed up, leading to heated clashes between the two groups.

Jake Lang claims a 'homemade bomb' landed 3 feet from him

Lang later claimed that he had been deliberately targeted after explosive devices were thrown during the unrest.

In a video posted on X, Lang can be seen running away from an explosion along with several people from his group.

“I just survived an assassination attempt by these two Muslim men. The homemade bomb they threw landed 3 feet in front of me,” Lang wrote while sharing the footage online.

He added, “The detonator failed to ignite, because God is on the throne of my life.”

Lang also made another controversial remark in the same post, writing, “We will never surrender to Islam.”

Explosive devices thrown during clash between protesters and counter-protesters

According to reports, the protest began around 11 am ET and drew a small group of about 20 people supporting Lang. At the same time, a larger counter-protest gathered nearby, with around 125 participants.

Tensions quickly rose as both groups confronted each other.

Shortly before noon, a protester connected to Lang’s group allegedly used pepper spray against counter-protesters. Police later arrested the individual in connection with the incident.

Not long after that, the situation escalated further when an 18-year-old man allegedly lit and threw an explosive device toward the protest area. The device landed in a crosswalk near police officers.

Lang and some of his supporters described the device as a “nail bomb” in videos shared online.

Authorities later said the same suspect allegedly obtained a second device from a 19-year-old man, lit it, and dropped it along East End Avenue.

Police quickly moved in and detained both suspects.

Police arrest six people after chaos near Zohran Mamdani’s official residence

Authorities confirmed that six people were arrested in connection with the unrest. Two of them are accused of handling and igniting the improvised explosive devices.

Police identified the suspects as 18-year-old Amir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Nick, though officials said the identification for Nick remains tentative.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that investigators do not believe Mamdani or his wife, Rama Duwaji, were home when the incident happened.

The investigation into the explosive devices and the violent protest is now being handled by the NYPD along with the FBI’s Joint Te**orism Task Force.

Officials have not yet released additional details about the possible charges the suspects may face.

Mamdani's spokesperson slams Jake Lang-led protest as 'despicable and Islamophobic'

After the chaos had settled, a spokesperson for Mamdani strongly criticized the protest organized by Lang.

Joe Calvello, who speaks for the mayor, condemned the demonstration and called it deeply offensive.

He described the Lang-led protest as “despicable and Islamophobic.”

Calvello also harshly criticized the conservative activist himself, referring to Lang as a “vile white supremacist.”