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Media, Mamdani Spin Absurd Tale About NYC ‘ISIS Inspired’ Terrorist Attack

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Media, Mamdani Spin Absurd Tale About NYC ‘ISIS Inspired’ Terrorist Attack

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Jarrett Stepman / @JarrettStepman

Jarrett Stepman is a columnist for The Daily Signal. He is also the author of "The War on History: The Conspiracy to Rewrite America's Past." Send an email to Jarrett

Never underestimate the Democrat-media complex’s ability to tag team and instantly spin a narrative about a news incident that is literally the opposite of reality.

An attempted terrorist attack by two “ISIS-inspired” radicals in New York City Saturday could have been a mass casualty event. But if you listened to the media and some of the most powerful politicians in the city you would think that the real criminals were peaceful protesters.

In case you missed it—and it was easy to miss if you weren’t on social media—two Muslim radical men, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, showed up at a protest in New York and allegedly tried to use improvised explosive devices on a crowd of people near the mayor’s mansion in the Upper East Side.

The original protest was by Jake Lang, a seemingly far-Right “influencer” whose message was focused on stopping the “Islamic Takeover of New York City.” Whatever Lang’s motivations, he was entirely peaceful while exercising his First Amendment right to free speech.

That speech was met with bombs.

As the dust cleared on the incident, the legacy media ran with stories that were just one weaselly headline after another. They deployed some clever linguistics to first obscure the religion and ideology of the men who showed up with bombs, then made it seem like it was Lang who was violent and that the target was New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Just look at this nonsense from CBS, NBC, and The New York Times, respectively.

Suspicious devices ignited during protests near Manhattan's Gracie Mansion, Mamdani's official residence https://t.co/N8AMeV3F7U— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 8, 2026

Suspicious devices ignited during protests near Manhattan's Gracie Mansion, Mamdani's official residence https://t.co/N8AMeV3F7U

Multiple arrests made after "suspicious devices" found outside Gracie Mansion, home of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, during anti-Islam rally and counterprotest.https://t.co/qKvlIENj5A— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 8, 2026

Multiple arrests made after "suspicious devices" found outside Gracie Mansion, home of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, during anti-Islam rally and counterprotest.https://t.co/qKvlIENj5A

The men arrested for the "suspicious devices" have been identified as counterprotesters from out of state. https://t.co/vKMTBAKPA2— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) March 8, 2026

The men arrested for the "suspicious devices" have been identified as counterprotesters from out of state. https://t.co/vKMTBAKPA2

The New York Times has now amended its “Smoking Jars of Metal and Fuses” headline, but it’s too late. Even in a world drowning in fake news, this particular masterpiece will live on in infamy. pic.twitter.com/TQhlQsgdQW— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) March 9, 2026

The New York Times has now amended its “Smoking Jars of Metal and Fuses” headline, but it’s too late. Even in a world drowning in fake news, this particular masterpiece will live on in infamy. pic.twitter.com/TQhlQsgdQW

Videos of the incident pretty clearly show what actually took place.

The video of the Islamist lighting an IED, planning to murder countless Americans in NYC.We do not need to live like this. pic.twitter.com/kLepGsLgzR— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 9, 2026

The video of the Islamist lighting an IED, planning to murder countless Americans in NYC.We do not need to live like this. pic.twitter.com/kLepGsLgzR

In one video you can hear the would-be bomber yelling what sounded like “Allahu Akbar.” What makes the video even more incredible is that Balat can be seen throwing what appeared to be a bomb over the head of a liberal “comedian” giving a cliche “in this house we believe/all are welcome” speech.

It’s absolutely perfect…A liberal man in NYC yelling about how everyone is welcome, as a Muslim man yells "Allahu Akbar!" and uses him as a literal springboard to throw a homemade bomb.The West’s suicidal empathy on video. https://t.co/d0CeWGvAiO— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) March 9, 2026

It’s absolutely perfect…A liberal man in NYC yelling about how everyone is welcome, as a Muslim man yells "Allahu Akbar!" and uses him as a literal springboard to throw a homemade bomb.The West’s suicidal empathy on video. https://t.co/d0CeWGvAiO

Fortunately, nobody was hurt as that bomb got chucked, so I’ll say that may be the most unintentionally hilarious thing that this comedian has ever uttered.

Also, thank God for the NYPD officers who jumped into action to apprehend the two attempted terrorists. Maybe, Mayor, don’t dismantle one of the most effective police forces in the world?

According to ABC 7 Eyewitness News, the two men, who came to the event from Pennsylvania, are being “charged in a five-count federal complaint with attempting to provide support to ISIS, use of a weapon of mass destruction, and other charges.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the charges on X, saying that the Department of Justice will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation.”

We have charged the two alleged ISIS-inspired terrorists who attempted to bomb a protest in New York City.We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation. Our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant. pic.twitter.com/4QMOrOvGhG— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) March 9, 2026

We have charged the two alleged ISIS-inspired terrorists who attempted to bomb a protest in New York City.We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation. Our law enforcement officers will remain vigilant. pic.twitter.com/4QMOrOvGhG

We should also be quite thankful this is being charged as a federal crime.

Given attitude of the powers that be in the city, and the record of the Manhattan district attorney, it’s easy seeing the two suspects getting light charges or even having the charges dropped if it was left up to them.

Here’s the leftist former comptroller, Brad Lander responding to the NBC X post.

Happy to know that our Mayor and First Lady are safe, but horrified that there was such a disturbing threat of violence outside their residence. Vile displays of Islamophobia will never be tolerated in our city. https://t.co/CDLc2JCYXU— Brad Lander (@bradlander) March 8, 2026

Happy to know that our Mayor and First Lady are safe, but horrified that there was such a disturbing threat of violence outside their residence. Vile displays of Islamophobia will never be tolerated in our city. https://t.co/CDLc2JCYXU

Lander later “apologized” for his initial post but notice he still didn’t mention that the bombing suspects were Muslim radicals and stuck with his “Islamophobia” line.

The explosives yesterday near Gracie Mansion were not thrown by the Islamophobic protestors, but by their counter-protesters. Violence is utterly unacceptable, wherever it comes from. I’m glad the individuals responsible are in custody and they should be held accountable under… https://t.co/TMnqgSrXPx— Brad Lander (@bradlander) March 8, 2026

The explosives yesterday near Gracie Mansion were not thrown by the Islamophobic protestors, but by their counter-protesters. Violence is utterly unacceptable, wherever it comes from. I’m glad the individuals responsible are in custody and they should be held accountable under… https://t.co/TMnqgSrXPx

And even worse was Zohran Mamdani, the communist mayor who hobnobs with Islamists and those who celebrated the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, including his oh so private wife.

Mamdani’s initial X post primarily focused on the “white supremacist” whose protest was about “bigotry and racism.” He then said “what followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable.” Of course, he made no mention of the motivation of the actual terrorists.

Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.What followed was even more disturbing. Violence…— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 8, 2026

Yesterday, white supremacist Jake Lang organized a protest outside Gracie Mansion rooted in bigotry and racism. Such hate has no place in New York City. It is an affront to our city’s values and the unity that defines who we are.What followed was even more disturbing. Violence…

The way the post was phrased, it would be easy to think it was Lang and his fellow protesters who committed the violence.

Mamdani kept going with this on Monday as he began his news conference with ritualistic denunciation of white supremacy instead of the terrorist attack.

This whole mess is instructive in several ways.

First, the legacy media has learned nothing about what’s led to their disintegrating reputation among Americans. Two Islamic extremists tried to commit a repeat of the Boston Marathon bombing, but the initial reporting made it seem like Mamdani was the real victim and not the peaceful protesters.

Second, New York City is in real trouble under Mamdani’s “leadership.” He tried to spin an act of terrorism by Muslim extremists as somehow being about Islamophobia and bigotry. Is the message here supposed to be that criticizing Muslims should be illegal? Shameful.

The only way to unspin this story is to make it a national one, to refuse the absurd narrative that Mamdani and the media initially tried to force feed the American people.

That’s already happening, and it just might work. Here was Mamdani, finally, on Monday afternoon after being called out relentlessly all day on X.

Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi have been charged with committing a heinous act of terrorism and proclaiming their allegiance to ISIS.They should be held fully accountable for their actions.We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in…— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 9, 2026

Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi have been charged with committing a heinous act of terrorism and proclaiming their allegiance to ISIS.They should be held fully accountable for their actions.We will continue to keep New Yorkers safe. We will not tolerate terrorism or violence in…

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