Counterprotester throws device during anti-Islam rally near Gracie Mansion: 6 arrested

A counterprotester at a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” rally on Saturday threw a device containing nuts, bolts, and screws at the demonstrators after someone from the anti-Islam group used pepper spray, authorities said.

The incident unfolded late Saturday morning near the mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion, when a member of the rally linked to conservative influencer Jake Lang sprayed pepper spray into a counterprotesting group, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Tensions escalated when a counterprotester lit and threw a device, described by Tisch as smaller than a football, into the crowd of about 20 demonstrators. The device struck a barrier and extinguished itself a few feet from police officers. The same person later received a second device, which he dropped, also wrapped in black tape with nuts, bolts, screws, and a hobby fuse. It remains unclear if the devices were functional or a hoax.

Authorities have now arrested six people in connection with the protests and the suspicious devices incident, up from the earlier report of three. Tisch confirmed no injuries were reported and that Mayor Zohran Mamdani was not at Gracie Mansion at the time.

Lang, who organized the anti-Islam rally attended by roughly 20 people , has previously faced charges including assaulting an officer and civil disorder but received clemency under President Donald Trump’s 2023 act of clemency for Jan. 6 defendants. The counterprotest reportedly peaked at around 125 participants . Lang recently announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Florida and has previously led protests in Minneapolis during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.

There is no clear evidence that the protest at Gracie Mansion was directly linked to Mayor Mamdani’s recent statements on the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. The demonstration appears to have been primarily motivated by local anti-Islam sentiment rather than the mayor’s foreign policy positions.