The paperwork in a terrorism case can be dense, but one detail is stubbornly simple: $6.89 for a roll of fuse, bought in a fireworks store aisle days before an alleged IED attack outside the New York City mayor’s residence.
What You Should Know
Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, both of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are charged federally in connection with alleged IED throws near Gracie Mansion on March 7th, 2026. CBS News reported surveillance video shows Balat buying safety fuse on March 2nd, 2026.
Prosecutors say the pair drove to New York City and showed up around a protest scene near Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The backdrop, per CBS News, was a far-right influencer, Jake Lang, organizing an anti-Islam demonstration, and a counter-protest that turned into a crime scene.
Receipts From a Fireworks Aisle
CBS News reported that surveillance video from Phantom Fireworks in Penndel, Pennsylvania, appears to show Balat shopping at 12:46 p.m. on March 2nd, 2026, then purchasing a 20-foot roll of safety fuse for $6.89, including tax. The visual is the kind of evidence that does not require an expert to explain.
William Weimer, the company’s vice president and general counsel, described the purchase as routine, which is exactly the point prosecutors will wrestle with. He told CBS News, “Coming in and buying that was uneventful. Had he bought 20 rolls of fuse, it might have raised eyebrows. But buying one or two items of anything in this store is almost a non-event. Nothing remarkable about the purchase.”
According to Weimer, the FBI contacted Phantom Fireworks’ national security director after the incident. That is a familiar pivot in cases like this: the most ordinary retail transaction becomes a breadcrumb once the allegations land.
The Allegations, the Devices, and the Courtroom Timeline
CBS News reported that videos from the scene, verified by the outlet’s CBS News Confirmed team, show a man identified as Balat throwing what authorities described as an ignited device. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said one device hit a barrier and went out near officers, and that a second device was lit, carried, and then dropped.
Law enforcement sources told CBS News the devices were allegedly built from a sports-drink bottle containing explosive material inside glass jars, surrounded by fragmentation such as nuts and bolts. Prosecutors also alleged in a criminal complaint that Balat told police he was inspired by ISIS and wanted a larger attack than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Balat and Kayumi face five federal counts tied to terrorism and possession of explosive materials, and prosecutors have said an indictment is forthcoming, according to CBS News. Balat’s attorney, Mehdi Essmidi, indicated outside the pair’s initial federal court appearance that he planned to fight the charges, while Kayumi’s attorney did not respond to the outlet’s requests for comment.
That leaves a collision course between two storylines: the government’s effort to show intent and planning, and a defense that can point to how easily someone can buy a small amount of fuse without raising alarms. In the middle is the political and security reality around Gracie Mansion, where protest theater can flip into federal time.
