Far-right activist Laura Loomer lashed out at Zohran Mamdani after an improvised explosive device was thrown during a protest outside the mayor’s official residence in New York City, accusing him of ignoring the identity of the suspect in a social media post responding to Mamdani’s remarks on the incident.
In a post on X, Loomer criticised Mamdani after he condemned the violence linked to a protest organised by Jake Lang. “So @ZohranKMamdani calls Jake Lang a White Supremacist but he won’t describe who threw the bomb at Jake,” Loomer wrote, claiming the suspect was a “Muslim jihadist Mamdani supporter”.
She also made controversial remarks about America’s founding and Mamdani’s background, telling him to “go back to Uganda”.
Mamdani earlier said the protest organised by Lang was “rooted in bigotry and racism”, adding that the use of an explosive device at a protest was “reprehensible” and unacceptable.
Jake Lang and the anti-Islam protest
The protest titled “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City, Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer” drew around 20 participants near Gracie Mansion, the Upper East Side residence of Mamdani, who is the city’s first Muslim mayor.
A counter-protest called “Run the Nazis out of New York City, Stand Against Hate” saw about 125 people at its peak, according to officials.
Lang, who organised the protest, previously faced charges linked to the January 6 United States Capitol attack and was accused of assaulting a police officer with a baseball bat and other offences.
He later received clemency as part of sweeping pardons for January 6 defendants by Donald Trump last year and has since announced plans to run for the US Senate in Florida.
Police said tensions escalated shortly before noon when a protester from Lang’s group used pepper spray on counter-protesters.
How the explosive device was thrown
According to Jessica Tisch, an 18-year-old counter-protester allegedly lit an improvised device containing nuts, bolts and screws and hurled it toward the protest area.
The device landed in a crosswalk near police officers, produced flames and smoke, struck a barrier and extinguished itself. The suspect then reportedly received a second device from a 19-year-old, ignited it and dropped it nearby before both individuals were detained by police.
Tisch said a preliminary bomb squad analysis confirmed the object was not a hoax or smoke bomb but an improvised explosive device (IED) that “could have caused serious injury or death”. Authorities said further analysis would be conducted on both devices.
Six people were arrested during the clashes between protesters and counter-protesters, which also involved fistfights and objects being thrown.
Police said Mamdani was not inside Gracie Mansion at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported. Investigators are working with federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation through a terrorism taskforce as the probe continues.
