NYC terror plot suspect seen purchasing fuse at Bucks County fireworks shop

PHILADELPHIA - Newly released surveillance footage captures Emir Balat, an 18-year-old Bucks County teen accused of hurling an improvised explosive device during a counterprotest in NYC last weekend, purchasing a 20-foot safety fuse from a local fireworks shop.

What we know:

Phantom Fireworks released surveillance footage showing 18-year-old Emir Balat of Langhorne buying fuse at its Penndel store on March 2, according to federal investigators. 

Prosecutors say Balat used the fuse to make two homemade bombs, one of which he allegedly threw into a crowd at a demonstration outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's official residence on Saturday, March 7.

The store’s vice president and general counsel, William Weimer, said, "He just drives in and parks right in front of the store like a normal customer. Comes in, signs in like a normal customer, no words, no hassle, no nothing." 

Weimer added, "It's just a very small amount of product, and all by itself, some fuse, People buy fuse all the time." 

He said the $6.89 purchase did not raise any red flags at the time. 

Store records and federal investigation 

After the arrests, Phantom Fireworks checked its records and found Balat had signed a form stating he would not use the products for inappropriate purposes.

"It also has some language in it that the customer is not going to use the fireworks they are purchasing for inappropriate purposes. Obviously the fellow did not tell the truth on that part of the form," said Weimer. 

The company notified its local FBI office about the video and was later subpoenaed for the footage. 

Weimer said, "This fellow threw the item in public with people all around him. He had no chance to get away," and added, "It makes no sense to me, fellow whose grown up in a very free and open country would do something like this." 

Police say Balat’s alleged accomplice, 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi of Newtown Township, tried to hand him a second explosive device, which was dropped. Prosecutors say neither device detonated, but both had the potential to cause serious injury or death.

Investigators believe Balat and Kayumi, assembled jar-sized improvised explosive devices using TPAP. The object also contained a fuse, plus an exterior layer of duct-taped nuts and bolts, the complaint said.

The homemade devices, which did not explode, were hurled Saturday during raucous counterprotests against an anti-Islam demonstration led by Jake Lang, a far-right activist and critic of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat and the first Muslim to hold the office.

Federal agents on Monday night raided a storage facility in Langhorne in connection to the investigation. Authorities say they conducted several controlled detonations after searching a storage unit.

The backstory:

Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, told authorities after their arrests that they were inspired by the Islamic State group, law enforcement officials said, but much remains undisclosed about their motives and how much they planned.

Prosecutors, police and FBI officials say Balat and Kayumi, who lived in Philadelphia’s suburbs, drove to New York City on Saturday and joined a throng of counterprotesters at a small, anti-Muslim rally organized by the far-right Christian nationalist Jake Lang.

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 a court appearance Monday on charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.

Both teenagers in custody, court date set 

Both Balat and Kayumi are in federal custody facing serious charges. 

Prosecutors say the teenagers claimed they were acting in the name of ISIS. 

Balat reportedly told investigators he intended to carry out an attack even bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people. 

Balat is due back in court April 8. 

Bucks CountyCrime & Public SafetyNews