Feds searching a Pennsylvania storage facility they say was used by the two teens accused of throwing homemade bombs into a crowd of protesters outside Gracie Mansion found explosive residue that led to several “controlled detonations,” officials said Tuesday.
The FBI spent most of Monday night executing a search warrant inside the storage facility on S. Flowers Mill Road in Middletown Township, Pa., that was allegedly used by Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18.
Authorities say the teens were inspired by ISIS when one of them threw an improvised explosive at an “Americans Against Islamification” protest on Saturday staged by Jan. 6 rioter and right-wing provocateur Jake Lang.
The bomb that was thrown didn’t go off, causing nothing but smoke, but an investigation later revealed it was packed with explosive material as well as metal nuts and bolts inside that could have been deadly if detonated.
At the Pennsylvania storage facility, federal agents found more explosive materials inside, both the feds and the Middletown Township Police Department said.
“Yesterday’s search of the storage unit believed to be connected the Gracie Mansion incident revealed explosive residue,” the FBI said on X Tuesday. “FBI special agent bomb technicians and the local bomb squads conducted a controlled detonation to ensure the safety of law enforcement and others in the area.”
Middletown police said “residents in the area of the storage facility on S. Flowers Mill Road may have heard several loud bangs during the overnight hours.”
“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 said on Facebook. “These controlled detonations were conducted by trained personnel and were carried out in a controlled manner. While the noise may have been startling to some residents, there was no danger to the public at any time.”
Federal agents finished their search of the storage unit Tuesday morning.
Kayumi and Balat are facing a slew of federal charges, including the use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted provision of material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The duo had two devices ready to go with a third left behind in their car, police and federal prosecutors said. Bayat allegedly lit and hurled a duct-tape-wrapped mason jar with a fuse and triacetone triperoxide, the hallmark explosive seen in bombings around the world, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a Monday press conference at Gracie Mansion.
The device landed near Lang, members of his group and a nearby Daily News reporter covering the protest. Kayumi handed Bayat a second device, but Bayat dropped it as he tried to run off, Tisch said.
