Homegrown Jihad: Nation on High Alert After NYC Attack
Two homegrown terrorist incidents in less than a week, one in Texas and another in New York, have rocked the nation. Federal and local authorities warn that more attacks may be coming.
In New York City, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed that Saturday's attempted bombing against protesters near the mayor's home was a terrorist attack.
"As alleged, both defendants have admitted that they acted on Saturday because of ISIS," she said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the two suspects, Amir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi, came to New York City from Pennsylvania with the intent to commit an act of terrorism at an anti-Islam protest.
"There is video of these individuals throwing two devices towards the protest," Mamdani explained. "The police department has determined that these were improvised explosive devices made to injure, maim, or worse."
The two men were taken into police custody at the scene. Radicalized on the internet by Islamic extremism, once in police custody, the two suspects admitted they were inspired by ISIS.
Police bodycam footage captured Kayumi's comments.
"He said, 'This isn't religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet. We take action, we take action.' As well as, 'If I didn't do it, someone else will come and do it,'" Tisch explained.
The Justice Department's five-count complaint against the men includes statements they made to police.
Balat wrote on a piece of paper that he "pledged allegiance to the Islamic state."
According to police, Kayumi said that he was "Affiliated with ISIS, watched ISIS propaganda on his phone," and that he was partly inspired to carry out his actions that day by ISIS. In addition, Balat said the two wanted to carry out an attack bigger than the Boston Marathon Bombing.
Police Commissioner Tisch confirmed the devices were IEDs – improvised explosive devices – that could have caused serious injury or death.
Police analysis showed one of the IEDs contained the substance triacetone triperoxide, known as TATP.
Tisch explained that TATP is a "highly volatile homemade explosive that has been used in IED attacks around the world. Our bomb squad then rendered safe both devices."
As the U.S. bombing campaign in Iran expands, the FBI and New York City police are on high alert, working overtime to safeguard Americans from additional ISIS and Iran-inspired terror attacks in the days ahead.
About The Author
Mr. Lane served as International News Director and Senior International Correspondent for CBN News. He traveled to more than 120 countries—many of them restricted nations or areas hostile to Christianity and other minority faiths where he has interviewed persecution victims and provided video reports and analysis for CBN News. Also, he provided written stories and served as a consultant for the Voice of the Martyrs.
Gary joined The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1984 as the first full-time Middle East Correspondent for CBN News. Based in Jerusalem, Gary produced reports from Beirut on the Lebanese civil war. He was reassigned to Washington, D.C., at the start of President Reagan’s second term and served as National Security Correspondent from the U.S. State Department, Pentagon, Capitol Hill, and the White House.
Gary left CBN briefly in 1988 to work as Senior Press Secretary for Pat Robertson’s presidential campaign. Afterward, he returned to Washington and served as Washington Bureau Chief for CBN News from 1989-1992.
Gary transferred to CBN headquarters in Virginia Beach in 1996, where he began more extensive international traveling and reporting as a Senior Correspondent.
In addition to his extensive reporting on Christian persecution, Gary is also known for his reporting on the civil war in Sudan. He made 20 trips to the country since 1993 and also testified before Congress about the plight of Burmese refugees.
Gary produced numerous documentaries, including Americans Abandoned for the American Defense Institute, which afforded him the opportunity to become the first American journalist granted access to the Vietnamese Defense and Cultural Film archives. The investigative film about American POWs featured Vietnam War footage never seen before by Americans.
Gary also produced several persecution documentaries, including one about Christians in Egypt for Freedom House—Their Blood Cries Out—and another about attacks in Indonesia for The Voice of the Martyrs—Island Jihad. He also worked as a production consultant and videographer for the VOM video specials Underground Reality Vietnam and Underground Reality Colombia.
Over the years, Gary covered wars in Lebanon, Israel, Nicaragua, Angola, Burma, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Colombia, Libya, and Syria. He won several awards, including one from the National Gulf War Resource Center for his groundbreaking investigative reporting of Gulf War Illness, an affliction affecting veterans of Operation Desert Storm. The Australian Evangelical Press Association gave him an award for his reporting of a church massacre that occurred in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, shortly after 9-11.
Gary left CBN in 2000 to join the Voice of The Martyrs as their News Director, where he directed the mission’s multimedia efforts. Those included the website, monthly newsletter, video productions, publications, press releases, and media interviews.
Gary rejoined CBN in late 2003 as International News Director/Senior Correspondent. He served as executive producer of three weekly international news programs: Christian World News (CWN); Mundo Cristiano, a Spanish version of CWN produced in Costa Rica; and an Arabic language version of CWN, CWN Arabic, which was broadcast throughout North Africa and the Middle East. He also hosted and produced the weekly CBN News Channel program, The Global Lane.
Prior to CBN, Gary worked for various local television stations in Michigan, including one owned by Time Inc. and another by Knight-Ridder. Before that, he worked at local radio stations in Flint and Detroit.
Gary is a 1979 honors graduate of The University of Michigan, Flint, where he served as political editor of The University News, studied pre-law, and received an A.B. in political science and history.
