January 1, New Probe Into Recent Urban Explosive Attacks Reveals Potential Broader Threats Ahead

Wyatt’s Take

• Teen suspect bought fuse at fireworks store five days prior.
• Threw homemade bombs at anti-Islam protesters near NYC mayor’s home.
• Admits ISIS inspiration, dreams of bigger Boston-style bombing.

Emir Balat, 18, from Pennsylvania, walked into a Phantom Fireworks store in Penndel and picked up a 20-foot roll of safety fuse for $6.89 on March 2.

Five days later, he and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, headed to New York City for a counter-protest against an anti-Islam rally near Gracie Mansion.

Balat lit and tossed IEDs made from sports drink bottles, glass jars packed with nuts and bolts, toward police and the crowd.

The first bomb hit a barrier and fizzled out. He grabbed another from Kayumi, but dropped it while running.

“Coming in and buying that was uneventful,” Phantom Fireworks Vice President and General Counsel William Weimer told CBS News. “Had he bought 20 rolls of fuse, it might have raised eyebrows. But buying one or two items of anything in this store is almost a nonevent.”

FBI probes it as terrorism. Agents found explosive residue in a Bucks County storage unit linked to the pair.

“The defendants allegedly support ISIS and tried to follow the path of that deadly group by attempting to detonate explosive devices in a crowd. The FBI and our partners have no tolerance for terrorist organizations or those inspired by them to engage in attacks. We are committed to stopping acts of violence and will hold accountable those who seek to harm our citizens.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said that in a statement.

Balat confessed to cops he followed ISIS and aimed for a blast bigger than the 2013 Boston Marathon attack.

Next day, NYPD found another suspicious device in a parked car blocks away, highlighting the ongoing danger.

They face five federal charges on terrorism and explosives, with an indictment coming soon.

Folks in the heartland, these radical threats hit close to home—stay alert and demand real security for our streets and families.

See the full story

Wyatt Matters

Hardworking Americans deserve safe communities free from imported terror, standing firm for faith, family, and freedom.