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In a chilling development from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, an 18-year-old man has been implicated in a plot to execute an ISIS-inspired attack in New York City. The young man, identified as Emir Balat from Langhorne, allegedly purchased a crucial component for his plan just days before attempting to deploy explosive devices during a protest outside Gracie Mansion.
According to surveillance footage reviewed by Fox News Digital, Balat visited Phantom Fireworks in Penndel on March 2, where he bought a 20-foot roll of consumer safety fuse. This purchase, amounting to $6.89, was made only two days following the joint military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, marking a significant escalation in tensions.
The footage captures Balat arriving at the store, stepping inside, and briefly disappearing from the camera’s view before returning to the counter. There, he engaged in a brief conversation with a store employee before completing his purchase in the checkout lane.
The surveillance video, made available courtesy of Phantom Fireworks, distinctly shows Balat’s transaction, underscoring the gravity of the allegations against him and the potential threat averted by law enforcement.
Surveillance camera footage shows Emir Balat buying a fireworks fuse in Pennsylvania March 2. (Footage courtesy of Phantom Fireworks)
“The single item purchased was a 20-foot length of consumer fireworks safety fuse,” Phantom Fireworks Vice President and General Counsel William Weimer told Fox News Digital. “The total spend was $6.89 including tax.”Â
Five days later, Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi of Newtown allegedly threw live explosive devices into a protest outside the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The event, “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City: Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer,” drew about 20 participants.
Surveillance camera footage shows Emir Balat buying a fireworks fuse in Pennsylvania March 2. (Footage courtesy of Phantom Fireworks)
A counterprotest, “Run the Nazis out of New York City: Stand Against Hate,” drew roughly 125 people at its peak.
Despite NYPD officers separating the groups into designated areas, tensions escalated shortly before noon, when a protester linked to Lang used pepper spray on counterprotesters, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Officers investigated for “a period of time” before making an arrest.
Emir Balat flees after allegedly throwing a homemade explosive device toward police during a protest in front of Gracie Mansion in New York City Saturday. Â (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
About 30 minutes later, Balat allegedly threw an “ignited device” that landed on the East 87th Street and East End Avenue crosswalk. Witnesses reported flames and smoke as it traveled through the air, struck a barrier and burned out feet from police officers.
Balat then allegedly ran south on East End Avenue, took a second device from Kayumi, lit it and fled before dropping it between East 86th and East 87th streets. Police took both men into custody.
The defendants now face five federal charges — attempted provision of material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, use of a weapon of mass destruction, transportation of explosive materials, interstate transportation and receipt of explosives and unlawful possession of destructive devices.