USA11 March, 20263 min read
Abby Phillip Apologizes After Falsely Claiming NYC Bombers Targeted Mayor Zohran Mamdani
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Abby Phillip falsely said the ISIS-inspired attack targeted New York's mayor Phillip issued an on-air apology and correction the following day
Arrests and charges
Two teenagers were arrested after an explosive device was thrown at an anti-Muslim protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence.
“Officers from the New York Police Department took 19-year-old Ibraham Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat into custody Saturday after they threw a device with the explosive compound Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) at a protest led by activist Jake Lang.”
Independent Journal Review reports that “Officers from the New York Police Department took 19-year-old Ibraham Kayumi and 18-year-old Emir Balat into custody Saturday after they threw a device with the explosive compound Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) at a protest led by activist Jake Lang,” while The Times of India states that “Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, were charged with material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and use of a weapon of mass destruction. Both of them are US citizens.”
Fox News added that “One suspect’s parents are naturalized U.S. citizens from Turkey, while the other suspect’s parents are naturalized U.S. citizens from Afghanistan.”
Phillip's apology
CNN anchor Abby Phillip publicly apologised after she suggested during a broadcast that the attack had been targeted at Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Independent Journal Review reports that “CNN NewsNight” host Abby Phillip apologized Wednesday for claiming that an alleged Saturday ISIS-inspired terrorist attack targeted Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City,” and both Fox News and The Times of India cite Phillip’s correction on X: “I want to correct something I said last night. The bombs thrown in New York City over the weekend by alleged ISIS inspired attackers was thrown into a crowd of anti-Muslim protestors and not specifically targeted at Mayor Mamdani. That wording was inaccurate and I didn’t catch it ahead of time. I apologize for the error.”
Target and motive dispute
There was immediate dispute over who was being targeted: prosecutors and investigators described the incident as aimed at anti-Muslim protesters while some commentators initially framed it as an attack on the mayor. The Independent Journal Review notes that “The Department of Justice is investigating the attack, which is says targeted the protest led by Lang,” and The Times of India reports that “Investigators said the attack was targeted at anti-Islam protesters outside Mamdani's Gracie Mansion.” By contrast, Fox News quoted a guest who said “To frame it as an anti-Muslim attack would actually completely reverse what happened,” and also noted that video “appears to show Balat shouting “Allahu akbar” as he threw the improvised explosive device.”
“The Department of Justice is investigating the attack, which is says targeted the protest led by Lang.”
CNN backlash
CNN faced additional criticism for its social media handling and on-air commentary around the case.
Fox News reported that CNN deleted a social-media post that described the suspects as teenagers and later posted an explanation: “A post regarding the two individuals arrested for throwing homemade bombs outside of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home failed to reflect the gravity of the incident thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting. It has therefore been deleted.”
Independent Journal Review also flagged that CNN commentator Ana Navarro claimed Mamdani had been targeted and that Phillip “failed to correct Navarro’s claims,” while The Times of India described Phillip’s on-air suggestion as having “stirred a major controversy.”
Political fallout
The episode prompted broader political reactions and drew attention to anti-Muslim rhetoric from some Republican figures. Independent Journal Review highlighted social-media posts from Representatives Randy Fine and Andy Ogles, quoting Fine’s earlier post and Ogles’ statement that “America and Islam are incompatible,” and noted that Ogles later defended the remarks.
“In February, Fine came under fire after a couple of posts on X criticizing a pro-Hamas activist who said people needed to not keep dogs inside because they were ‘unclean.’ ‘If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,’ Fine, who is Jewish, posted on Feb. 15. ‘America and Islam are incompatible,’ Ogles posted March 5 as a caption to a video defending legislation he called a ‘Muslim ban.’”
Fox News likewise reported on those Republican posts and said that “Speaker Johnson, responding to questions about Ogles on Monday, sounded the alarm about the threat of Sharia law in the U.S., warning that it is in direct conflict with the tenets the U.S. was founded on.” The Times of India also named the two Republicans in coverage of the controversy.