CNN really thought it had found a way to turn an ISIS-inspired terror attack into a coming-of-age story about two misunderstood kids whose big day in the city went sideways. It blew up in their faces instead.
As PJ Media previously reported, what could have turned into a deadly attack instead ended in chaos and panic on Saturday outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. During an anti-Islam protest, two homemade improvised explosive devices were thrown toward the crowd by counterprotestors.
The devices contained triacetone triperoxide, or TATP — a notoriously volatile homemade explosive known as the “mother of Satan”—along with nuts, bolts, and screws meant to maximize the damage. The explosives were ignited but thankfully failed to fully detonate. Authorities later discovered a third device near a vehicle the suspects allegedly used, triggering evacuations at nearby apartment buildings.
Recommended: Is This the Real Reason Democrats Aren't Funding DHS?
The suspects, 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat, both from Pennsylvania, have been charged with multiple federal terrorism offenses. According to Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, “These were ISIS-inspired actions, and it is chilling that they wanted to do something more than the Boston Marathon, more than three deaths.”
We have charged the two alleged ISIS-inspired terrorists who attempted to bomb a protest in New York City.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) March 9, 2026
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
And here’s how CNN portrayed the incident in a post on X:
Two Pennsylvania teenagers crossed into New York City Saturday morning for what could've been a normal day enjoying the city during abnormally warm weather.
But in less than an hour, their lives would drastically change as the pair would be arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's home.
If you weren’t familiar with the story, you’d read this description and assume the suspects were the victims, just innocent bystanders caught up in the protests. And, considering the way the media initially framed the story, that may have been the intention. Several initial reports tied the IEDs to the protest organized by Jake Lang, without mentioning the counterprotestors, leaving viewers to conclude the bombs were possibly targeting Mamdani.
Mamdani himself helped fuel that misconception.
“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,” he said in a statement posted to X. “What followed was even more disturbing. Violence at a protest is never acceptable. The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are.”
Don’t pretend for a second that that wasn’t deliberate.
CNN’s post, however, was promptly blasted and ridiculed on X. Eventually, it deleted the post and issued a “correction” of sorts.
Why did CNN delete this post? pic.twitter.com/coZW3GlEsE
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) March 10, 2026
A post regarding the two individuals arrested for throwing homemade bombs outside of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home failed to reflect the gravity of the incident thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting. It has therefore been deleted.
— CNN (@CNN) March 10, 2026
Translation: “We got caught doing what we usually do, and this time we couldn’t ride out the outrage.”
CNN did not suddenly discover new facts that changed the story. Law enforcement was calling this ISIS-inspired terrorism from the start. The suspects’ alleged statements about ISIS and wanting to exceed the Boston Marathon attack were already public. What changed was that CNN’s attempt to spin the narrative blew up in its face, and the ridicule became too much to ignore.
Want to support fearless journalism that exposes the Left and tells the stories the media won’t? PJ Media delivers the truth and holds the powerful accountable. Become a VIP member today—your support fuels our mission and unlocks exclusive content, podcasts, an ad-free experience, and more.
Use code FIGHT for 60% off. It's a great time to join our movement. Join now and stand for America-first journalism!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member