Brian Lair on WNYC.

So as you probably know, over the weekend, two young men were charged with trying to detonate homemade bombs outside Gracie Mansion.

Here is police commissioner Jessica Tisch explaining the charges.

The defendants are charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS,

using a weapon of mass destruction,

transporting explosive materials,

interstate transportation and receipt of explosive materials,

and unlawful possession of destructive devices.

The bomb, which did not explode, was one of several devices recovered.

It contained TAP, a quote, highly volatile material used in numerous terrorist attacks over the last decade,

according to the New York Times.

The motivation for the attack was apparently aimed specifically at a protest organized by a right-wing

influencer dubbed as an anti-Muslim protest outside the mayor's residence.

The two young men, Amir Balot, 18, and Ibrahim

Khamyumi, 19, are both U.S. citizens from Pennsylvania. Commissioner Tish said they both

expressed support for ISIS or the Islamic State. Joining us now to break down the latest,

including background on the two suspects, is John Leland, New York Times reporter, who's been following the various threads of this.

Hi, John, thanks for coming on WNYC with us today.

Oh, thanks for having me, Brian.

Before we get into what we know about the suspects, can you give us some context for the situation in which this played out? You do report

that the attack was apparently aimed at a protest which had been billed by its organizers as

stop the Islamic takeover of New York City. Stop New York City Public Muslim Prayer. Stop New York City public Muslim prayer.

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