If anyone thought the attempted bombing outside New York City’s Gracie Mansion was just a one-off stunt by two reckless teenagers, new developments suggest something much more serious may have been going on behind the scenes.
Federal investigators have now discovered additional explosive materials in Pennsylvania, tied to the two suspects accused of throwing improvised explosive devices into a crowd of protesters over the weekend.
And that discovery raises a pretty obvious question: how much bigger was this plot supposed to be?
According to local authorities, FBI agents searched a storage unit in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, on Monday as part of the ongoing terrorism investigation into suspects Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19.
The search didn’t exactly go quietly.
Residents in the area reported hearing several loud explosions overnight — but police later explained those blasts were controlled detonations carried out by federal bomb technicians disposing of explosive materials recovered during the search.
The Middletown Township Police Department confirmed the activity in a public statement posted on Facebook Tuesday.
“Last night, residents in the area of the storage facility on S. Flowers Mill Road may have heard several loud bangs during the overnight hours,” the department said.
Officials clarified that the explosions were intentional and carried out safely by trained personnel.
“As part of the ongoing federal investigation that took place yesterday, the FBI safely disposed of explosive materials that were recovered during the execution of search warrants,” the department explained. “These controlled detonations were conducted by trained personnel and were carried out in a controlled manner.”
Police also emphasized that there was never any danger to nearby residents, and that the operation has now concluded.
The storage facility is located in Middletown Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia in Bucks County — the same general area where investigators say the two suspects were living before traveling to New York City.
That’s where the story started to unravel.
Authorities say Balat and Kayumi traveled into Manhattan on Saturday and threw improvised explosive devices toward a group of protesters gathered outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The case quickly escalated after the suspects were taken into custody.
According to investigators, both men referenced ISIS after their arrests, prompting the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to take over the investigation.
Authorities say Balat went even further during questioning, telling law enforcement that he had hoped to carry out an attack more deadly than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured hundreds.
The explosive devices used in the attack were reportedly made using Triacetone Triperoxide, or TATP, a highly unstable explosive that has been widely used by terrorist organizations.
In fact, the compound is so notorious that it’s earned a nickname in counterterrorism circles: “Mother of Satan.”
At this point, investigators have not confirmed whether the explosives discovered and detonated at the Pennsylvania storage unit were also made using TATP, but the discovery suggests the suspects may have had access to more materials than what was used in the New York attack.
Meanwhile, New York City has remained on high alert.
Just one day after the bombing attempt, police were forced to block off part of the Upper East Side on Sunday after a suspicious device was discovered inside a vehicle near the location where the original attack took place.
Authorities later determined the situation was under control, but the discovery underscored how tense the situation has become in the city.
On Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced federal charges against Balat and Kayumi, describing the pair as “two alleged ISIS-inspired terrorists.”
“We will not allow ISIS’s poisonous, anti-American ideology to threaten this nation,” Bondi said in a statement.
As investigators continue to piece together the suspects’ activities, the discovery of additional explosives in Pennsylvania suggests law enforcement is still working to determine whether the attempted bombing in New York was the entire plot — or just the beginning.
