Devices thrown during a protest outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's official residence amounted to an incident of "sheer terror," and reflected growing security threats in the city, former NYPD Chief of Department John Chell said Sunday on Newsmax.
"You have two teenage radical Muslims from Pennsylvania who yelled out, 'Allah Akbar,' throw two devices that some people deem are just smoke bombs, which is hilarious, wrapped in glass with metal. This was a terror attack yesterday," Chell said Sunday on Newsmax's "Sunday Report."
Two people were arrested after attempting to set off suspicious devices near Gracie Mansion during dual protests while Mamdani was inside the Manhattan mayoral residence.
Four others were also taken into custody in connection with the protest.
Authorities said hours after the incident that testing on the devices was still underway, and officials had not yet confirmed what type of explosives or materials were used.
"Right now, we haven't heard from the mayor, our leader of this city," Chell said, adding that the incident could signal further unrest in the coming months.
"It's going to get worse because they're all emboldened, because we have a mayor who supports it. And that is where the problem lies," Chell said. "We are in March. What are we doing in June and July when it's 90 degrees? This is going to be a tough task to secure the city."
Chell also addressed a separate violent incident in Austin, Texas, where authorities said three people have died following a shooting that investigators are examining as possible terrorism.
Chell said the Austin Police Department made the right decision by quickly involving federal authorities in the investigation.
"You have a chief who was humble and said, 'Hey, we're a great department, but we need help to handle this,'" he said. "That's great humility to get the job done properly."
He added that law enforcement agencies nationwide must remain alert as attacks increasingly target crowded public spaces.
"Security now nationwide at events where a lot of people have to be at the highest alert, and you cannot say it's not going to happen here," Chell said. "You have to proceed accordingly and secure your community."
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