3 Arrested After Device Is Thrown At Anti-islam Protesters In New York City

NEW YORK — A counterprotester demonstrating against a “Stop nan Islamic Takeover of New York City” arena Saturday lighted and threw a instrumentality containing nuts, bolts and screws astatine nan protesting crowd aft personification from that group utilized capsicum spray connected nan counterprotesters, constabulary said.

Police are investigating nan incident that started precocious Saturday greeting erstwhile personification from nan anti-Islam protestation associated pinch far-right activistic and pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Jake Lang changeable capsicum spray into a counterprotesting group adjacent nan mayoral residence Gracie Mansion, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Tensions continued to heighten, she said, erstwhile 1 of nan counterprotesters lighted and threw a instrumentality she described arsenic smaller than a shot into nan protesting crowd of astir 20 people.

The instrumentality struck a obstruction and extinguished itself “a fewer feet from constabulary officers,” she said. The aforesaid personification past ran, and different personification gave a him a 2nd device, which they past dropped. The devices were wrapped successful achromatic portion pinch nuts, bolts and screws, arsenic good arsenic a fuse. She said it was unclear whether nan devices were functioning explosives aliases hoaxes.

Three group were arrested, and an investigation is underway, Tisch said.

Tisch astatine a news convention didn’t study immoderate injuries and said she believed Mayor Zohran Mamdani was not astatine Gracie Mansion astatine nan time.

She said astir 20 group showed up to Saturday’s protestation connected to Lang, and nan counterprotest had astir 125 group astatine its peak.

Lang was charged pinch assaulting a constabulary serviceman pinch a shot bat, civilian upset and different crimes earlier receiving a pardon arsenic portion of President Trump’s sweeping enactment of clemency for Jan. 6 defendants past year. Lang precocious announced that he is moving for U.S. Senate successful Florida.

Last month, Lang staged an anti-Islam protestation successful Minneapolis during nan Trump administration’s migration crackdown there.