Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, both from the Philadelphia area, entered their pleas during a brief court appearance following their arrest over an alleged March 7 incident targeting an anti-Islam demonstration outside Gracie Mansion, according to court filings and statements from federal prosecutors.

Authorities allege the two men traveled from Pennsylvania to New York with the intent to carry out an attack on the protest, which was organized by activist Jake Lang, a critic of Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Prosecutors said the defendants deployed two improvised explosive devices containing triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and shrapnel, but the devices failed to detonate.No injuries were reported, and law enforcement officers detained the suspects shortly after the attempted attack.

The mayor and his wife were not present at the residence at the time, officials said.According to a federal complaint, investigators recovered dashcam footage from the suspects’ vehicle in which they allegedly discussed plans to kill as many as 60 people in an effort to “start terror.”

Prosecutors also said the defendants told police they were motivated by the Daesh group.Balat’s legal counsel declined to comment following the hearing, while attorneys representing Kayumi did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The case highlights ongoing concerns among U.S. authorities over self-radicalized individuals and the use of easily assembled explosive materials such as TATP, which has been used in several past attacks due to its relative accessibility despite its volatility.

The defendants are scheduled to return to court on June 16.

The incident, involving an Air Canada jet and a fire truck at around 11:37 p.m. local time, killed both pilots and has intensified concerns over staffing shortages and operational pressures within U.S. air traffic control.

According to a LaGuardia Tower standard operating procedures document, local air control and ground control roles should not be combined before midnight or within 90 minutes of a shift starting.

The rule was introduced following a 1997 ground collision at the airport and remained in force as of 2026.

Preliminary information suggests that, on the night of the crash, one controller may have been handling both runway operations and ground traffic, a practice inconsistent with those procedures.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is examining the duties performed by controllers at the time, though it has not confirmed whether roles were combined.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said two controllers were working in the tower: one overseeing active runways and another acting as controller-in-charge while issuing departure clearances.

However, it remains unclear who was responsible for ground traffic management.Audio recordings reviewed by multiple current and former controllers suggest the runway controller may also have been handling ground movements, though this has not been officially confirmed.

Data showed 70 commercial flights operated at LaGuardia between 10 p.m. and the time of the crash, significantly above the average of 53 for that period in recent years, increasing workload complexity.

Controllers cited by Reuters said such traffic levels would typically require additional staffing rather than consolidation of roles. The Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees air traffic control, did not respond to requests for comment.

Investigators have emphasized that aviation accidents generally result from multiple contributing factors rather than a single cause, with the inquiry into the collision ongoing.

Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan.

The police department’s community affairs bureau will work with mosques to communicate the new guidelines and ensure that devices used to broadcast the adhan are set to appropriate decibel levels, Adams said. Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.

“For too long, there has been a feeling that our communities were not allowed to amplify their calls to prayer,” Adams said. “Today, we are cutting red tape and saying clearly that mosques and houses of worship are free to amplify their call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit necessary.”

Flanked by Muslim leaders at a City Hall news conference, Adams said Muslim New Yorkers “will not live in the shadows of the American dream while I am the mayor of the city of New York.”

The adhan is a familiar sound in majority-Muslim countries but is heard less frequently in the United States.

Officials in Minneapolis made news last year when they moved to allow mosques to broadcast the adhan publicly.

The adhan declares that God is great and proclaims the Prophet Muhammad as his messenger. It exhorts men — women are not required — to go to the closest mosque five times a day for prayer, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

“The sound of the adhan is not just a call to prayer; it is a call to unity, reflection, and community,” Afaf Nasher, the executive director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement. “We believe that this action will contribute to greater understanding and appreciation of the Muslim community’s values and traditions.”

Somaia Ferozi, principal of the Ideal Islamic School in Queens, said New York City’s new rules send a positive message to her students.

“Our children are reminded of who they are when they hear the adhan,” said Ferozi, who attended Adams’ news conference. “Having that echo in a New York City neighborhood will make them feel part of a community that acknowledges them.”

Adams, a Democrat, enjoys close relationships with faith leaders from various traditions and has promoted the role of religion in public life.

He has at times alarmed civil libertarians by saying he doesn’t believe in the separation of church and state.

“State is the body. Church is the heart,” Adams said at an interfaith breakfast earlier this year. “You take the heart out of the body, the body dies.”

A spokesperson for the mayor said at the time that Adams merely meant that faith guides his actions.

Qatar allegedly skirted U.S. sanctions on Hamas and PIJ by enlisting several of its charitable organizations in a scheme to funnel funds to the terror groups.

Qatar secretly provided funding for several terror attacks that killed Americans and Israelis, according to allegations leveled in an unprecedented new lawsuit filed in New York City on Wednesday that seeks compensation for the families of those killed.

Multiple Qatari financial institutions, largely controlled by the country’s ruling monarch, provided millions of dollars to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), two U.S.-designated terrorist organizations that waged multiple successful attacks on American citizens, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. As part of this alleged funding scheme, Qatari charities allegedly used the U.S. banking system to illegally funnel these groups the money necessary to orchestrate and conduct the attacks.

As Hamas’s most prolific funder, “Qatar coopted several institutions that it dominates and controls to funnel coveted U.S. dollars (the chosen currency of Middle East terrorist networks) to Hamas and PIJ under the false guise of charitable donations,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed under the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act and has been in the works for the last two years.

Revelations of Qatar’s alleged involvement in these terror plots is likely to fuel ongoing congressional investigations into Qatar’s support for terror factions and other anti-U.S. militia groups. Qatar’s involvement with these groups has also been a source of tension with its regional neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt—all of which cut ties with the regime in 2017 due to its support for terrorism.

The lawsuit was filed by American attorney Steven Perles, who has prosecuted several notable terrorism cases filed on behalf of the families and victims of these terror attacks. The current case includes among its plaintiffs the family of Taylor Force, an American military veteran killed by Hamas in 2016.

“In addition to holding those who have financed terrorism accountable, this case should serve as a strong deterrent to others who might consider similar activities,” Perles told the Free Beacon.

American victims of terrorism have won similar cases in the past, including the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks and those killed by Iran. Earlier this year, American victims of the 1983 attack on a U.S. embassy compound in Lebanon were awarded $1.5 billion in damages. Other cases, however, have dragged on for years with no end in sight. In many instances it has been difficult for the legal system to extract funds from malign regimes and their supporters.

Qatar allegedly skirted U.S. sanctions on Hamas and PIJ by enlisting several of its charitable organizations in a scheme to funnel funds to the terror groups. As with many other terror financing cases, it was critical this money be provided in U.S. dollars.

The lawsuit specifically targets Qatar Charity, which was founded in 1992 as Qatar Charitable Society. The organization serves as “a key funding source for international terrorists” and is believed to have been a major source of funding for deceased terror leader Osama bin Laden.

Qatar Charity allegedly worked with Masraf Al Rayan bank and Qatar National Bank to forward Hamas and PIJ millions of dollars, according to the lawsuit. Both banks “were essential to provide access to the U.S. financial system to obtain the U.S. dollars needed to sustain Hamas’s and PIJ’s terrorist activities,” the lawsuit states. The banks and charity group are largely controlled by members of Qatar’s royal family.

Masraf Al Rayan bank is currently under investigation in the United Kingdom for helping Qatar Charity send money to Hamas and PIJ.

After funneling the charitable donations through banks located in New York, the money was allegedly transferred to Qatar Charity’s accounts at the Bank of Palestine and the Islamic Bank in Ramallah, where the funds were then distributed to affiliates of Hamas and PIJ.

Between March and September 2015, at least $28 million dollars was distributed by Qatar Charity to its affiliates in Palestinian-controlled territories, according to the lawsuit. Internal documents from Qatar Charity noted in the lawsuit further indicate that it transferred funds to Hamas and PIJ fronts from at least 2013.

It is alleged that these funds directly aided at least six terror attacks conducted by Hamas and PIJ operatives between 2014 and 2016. This includes multiple car-ramming attacks in Israel, in which terrorists drove vehicles into crowds of people, killing several American citizens. Others were kidnapped and stabbed by Hamas operatives in and around Israel.

The most prominent plaintiff is the family of Taylor Force, whose name is attached to legislation passed by Congress in 2017 that blocks American aid to the Palestinian Authority due to its policy of using this cash to pay convicted terrorists and their families. Nine other families also are included in the lawsuit.

Article first published on FreeBeacon.