The two terror suspects accused of trying to bomb a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence last month, in what authorities have described as an ISIS-inspired attack, were indicted on Tuesday, according to federal prosecutors.

Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, and Emir Balat, 18, are accused of throwing live explosive devices into a protest outside Mamdani’s Gracie Mansion residence on March 7, after driving from Pennsylvania. The bombs failed to detonate and nobody was injured.

Both were charged with eight counts: conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, provision and attempted provision of material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, carrying of explosives during the commission of a federal felony, transportation of explosive materials, interstate transportation and receipt of explosives and unlawful possession of destructive devices.

“As alleged, just weeks ago, Emir Balat and Ibrahim Kayumi carried out a terrorist attack on the streets of New York,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement. “They sought to murder multiple innocent victims in the name of ISIS. The brave women and men of the NYPD responded immediately, and Balat and Kayumi were arrested on site.”

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“Since their attack, our partners at the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force have uncovered evidence revealing the alleged meticulous planning by the defendants in their attack, including a notebook with detailed attack plans and a storage unit containing explosive residue and bomb-making materials,” he added.

When speaking to law enforcement, Balat allegedly said he wanted the planned attack to be “bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing.”

After Kayumi was arrested and waiting to be placed inside an NYPD vehicle, someone from the surrounding crowd yelled at him and asked why he carried out the attack.

“ISIS,” he allegedly responded.

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The pair also made comments recorded on dashcam in which they discussed soon carrying out the attack as they traveled to New York, according to the indictment.

“What do you think? Are they going to remove the airplanes for us … over New York? Are they going to stop them? If we do the attack and the bombs go off and everything?” Balat asked.

“Just can’t wait for that bomb to go off and his freaking head, his body to get split in half bro, dead,” he added.

Kayumi said, “All I know is I want to start terror, bro” and “I want to petrify these people.”

A forensic analysis of two unexploded devices — one that Balat tossed into the crowd of protesters and another that Kayumi handed to Balat before Balat dropped it on the ground near NYPD officers — found that both contained explosives, according to the indictment.

Mamdani said after the attempted bombing last month that “violence at a protest is never acceptable.”

“The attempt to use an explosive device and hurt others is not only criminal, it is reprehensible and the antithesis of who we are,” the mayor said at the time.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump has a “right” and a “duty” to influence federal investigations, including those regarding the president’s political enemies who probed him in the past.

Blanche, who was named acting attorney general last week, dismissed the notion that the Justice Department has been improperly going after Trump’s opponents and defended the president’s influence over federal investigations.

“We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now. It is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president in the past has had issues with and believes should be investigated,” Blanche said at a press conference.

“That is his right and indeed it is his duty to do that, meaning to lead this country, and so I do not view this as pressure,” he continued.

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This comes after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday after she failed to secure successful indictments against some of Trump’s political rivals and amid bipartisan frustrations with her handling of the Epstein files.

The DOJ has opened several investigations into Trump’s opponents, including U.S. officials who found that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to boost Trump, Democratic lawmakers who encouraged U.S. service members to ignore unlawful orders, former President Joe Biden’s alleged use of an autopen to sign official documents without his direct authorization and liberal donors and fundraising groups.

Blanche shut down the idea that the Trump administration is weaponizing the DOJ, noting a few of the investigations into Trump that took place under the Biden administration.

“You had a president who, along with this department, had assistance, so this department helped two other local DA’s go after the president. You had this department who stood idly by while states tried to keep President Trump off the ballot,” Blanche said, adding that the Trump administration’s “supposed weaponization” of the DOJ is “completely false.”

Blanche, who represented Trump in three of the four criminal cases he faced while out of office, cited those cases as he argued that Trump “wants justice” for people he believes improperly weaponized the legal system against him.

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The acting attorney general declined to say whether he wants to be nominated to the vacant attorney general post. He said he would be honored if Trump chose him for the role, but would still love him if he chose someone else.

“As to whether or not I want this job, I did not ask for this job. I love working for President Trump,” Blanche said. “It’s the greatest honor of a lifetime, and if President Trump chooses to keep me as acting, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate me, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say, ‘Thank you very much. I love you, sir.'”

Officials can serve in an acting capacity for up to 210 days. Trump has not signaled a nominee to take the role permanently, but he could nominate Blanche. The president has also reportedly had discussions with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin about taking the job.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The A-10 Warthog has a new maritime role in targeting boats in the war in Iran that could extend the life of the aircraft, which the U.S. Air Force had been attempting to retire for years.

Despite the Air Force trying to phase out the A-10, Congress has resisted its efforts and blocked attempts to reduce the number of these aircraft.

A-10s have been used in the U.S. military campaign against Iran, as the Pentagon sees a need for an aircraft that can loiter and deliver accurate fire against small boats and coastal threats.

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During a Pentagon briefing last month, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that A-10 aircraft were “in the fight” and operating across the southern flank of the conflict, including targeting Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

“We continue to hunt and kill mine storage facilities and naval ammunition depots. We continue to hunt and kill afloat assets, including more than 120 vessels and 44 mine layers, and the pressure will continue,” Caine said in the March 19 briefing.

“The A-10 Warthog is now in the fight across the southern flank and is hunting and killing fast attack watercraft in the Straits of Hormuz. In addition, AH-64 Apaches have joined the fight on the southern flank, and they continue to work on the southern side. And that includes some of our allies who are using Apaches to handle one-way attack drones,” he continued.

This comes as President Donald Trump has escalated threats against Iran, including its civilian infrastructure, over its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy shipments. However, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Tuesday, hours before Trump’s deadline to strike power plants and bridges unless Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz.

As of 2026, the Air Force has around 280 A-10 aircraft in service, and Congress required that the fleet not fall below 103 aircraft in Fiscal Year 2026 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.

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While the A-10 is slower and less stealthy than newer aircraft, making it vulnerable in heavily contested airspace against modern integrated air defense systems, it has a long loiter time over target areas and the ability to visually identify and engage targets.

Originally designed as a Cold War-era tank killer, the A-10 is now being used in a markedly different role — targeting small, fast-moving boats and coastal threats amid the conflict with Iran. The use of the aircraft is intensifying debate over the Air Force’s decade-long effort to retire the jet, as it continues to be utilized in new missions.