Video allegedly shows Emir Balat inside Phantom Fireworks in Penndel on March 2, according to Bill Weimer, vice president and general counsel at Phantom Fireworks. He said Balat purchased a 20‑foot consumer firework safety fuse for $6.89.
inside Phantom Fireworks in Penndel, Pennsylvania, on March 2, according to Bill Weimer, vice president and general counsel at Phantom Fireworks. He said Balat purchased a 20-foot consumer firework safety fuse for $6.
89. IMAGE: Emir Balat, one of the suspects charged in a NYC terror plot, was allegedly seen on video shopping at a Bucks County fireworks store days before the planned attack. Following news of the incident and learning the suspects' names, Weimer said the company checked its records to see if either of the suspects had shopped there before. The company contacted the FBI, which then sent a subpoena asking for the sales record and video footage, he added.ABC News has confirmed the video is now part of the federal investigation involving Balat and the second suspect, 19-year-old Investigators say the two men attempted to detonate improvised explosive devices in Manhattan on Saturday during chaotic counterprotests against an anti-Islamic demonstration. According to a criminal complaint, both suspects told police they were inspired by the Islamic State group. Balat told investigators he hoped to achieve something "even bigger" than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured hundreds. Officials said the homemade devices, wrapped in bolts and nails, failed to explode.Only Action News was there as investigators set off the detonations a few minutes apart around 1:30 a.m. Video from Chopper 6 shows law enforcement digging holes in a nearby grassy area. A law enforcement source familiar with the process says this is where the detonation process would've taken place, especially when dealing with highly unstable explosives."Kind of astonishment to come down here and see what's going on because I have a storage locker here," said Michael Coyne of Langhorne. "But with the Iran thing going on, it's not entirely unexpected."White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday called the attack "absolutely despicable" and said government investigators and prosecutors won't rest until the perpetrators are brought to justice.Court documents show Emir Balat's father, Selahattin Balat, is a native of Turkey who was granted asylum in the United States in 1998 and later became a U.S. citizen. In a 2009 bankruptcy filing, he listed his occupation as painter and said he had three children. Emir Balat is a senior at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne. A school spokesperson said he enrolled in a virtual program in September and had not attended in-person classes since. His lawyer, Mehdi Essmidi, said his client had "complicated stuff going on" in his personal life, without elaborating. Essmidi said he did not believe the two young men had known each other for long. Kayumi is from Newtown, about 4 miles north of Langhorne. He graduated in 2024 from Council Rock High School North, according to a school spokesperson. His attorney did not speak to reporters following a court hearing Monday and declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press. Online records show that Kayumi's parents have owned and worked at multiple Popeyes fast food locations, including in Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Atlantic City. His mother filed a missing person report with police Saturday, the day of the protest, saying her son had not been seen since that morning, according to the complaint. Prosecutors, police and FBI officials say Balat and Kayumi joined a throng of counterprotesters at a small, anti-Muslim rally organized by far-right activist Jake Lang. A Christian nationalist, Lang is a critic of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat and the first Muslim to hold the office. Journalists photographed Balat hurling a device, smoking with a lit fuse, that was later found to contain the explosive TATP. The object, which also contained nuts and bolts, extinguished itself without harming anyone. Balat then dropped a second object near some police officers and tried to run, but was tackled and arrested, according to a court complaint. Balat and Kayumi were being held without bail after their court appearance on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. They were not required to enter a plea. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday there were no indications that the attack was connected to the ongoing war in Iran, but said the city remained on a heightened state of alert.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Teens charged with attempting to support ISIS in Gracie Mansion bomb plotEmir Balat, 18, is expected to appear in federal court at 2 p.m. today.
Read more »
Teens charged with attempting to support ISIS in Gracie Mansion bomb plotEmir Balat, 18, is expected to appear in federal court at 2 p.m. today.
Read more »
Video appears to show Gracie Mansion bomb suspect purchasing fuse at Pennsylvania fireworks storeOne of two men accused of throwing IEDs at protesters in New York City appears to have purchased fuses at a fireworks store in a Philadelphia suburb last week.
Read more »
Terror suspect bought fireworks fuse before allegedly hurling explosives at NYC protestersFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
WATCH: NYC terror suspect allegedly seen purchasing fireworks fuse days before attackFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
NYC Mayor's Residence Bomb Plot: Suspect Bought Fuses at PA Fireworks StoreAn investigation reveals that one of the individuals accused of throwing explosive devices at a protest near the New York City mayor's residence purchased fuses at a fireworks store in Pennsylvania. Surveillance footage from Phantom Fireworks shows Emir Balat purchasing the fuses shortly before the incident. The FBI is investigating the incident as a potential act of terrorism. Both Balat and his alleged accomplice, Ibrahim Kayumi, face federal charges.
Read more »