CNN found itself scrambling to clean up multiple reporting errors this week after several of its personalities and reporters falsely claimed that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was the target of an ISIS-inspired terror attack that unfolded over the weekend.
The controversy escalated Wednesday night when CNN host Abby Phillip issued an on-air correction during her program, acknowledging that she had repeated inaccurate information during the previous night’s broadcast.
“This morning I issued a correction first thing in the morning on X for a mistake that I made in last night’s show, but I also wanted to do so on air as well,” Phillip told viewers.
Phillip admitted she had incorrectly stated that explosive devices thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects were directed at the mayor.
“I incorrectly said that the bombs that were thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects in New York over the weekend were directed at Mayor Mamdani. They were not,” Phillip said. “I failed to catch and correct that mistake in real time and I take full responsibility for that.”
She added that while mistakes can occur in news coverage, acknowledging and correcting them publicly is essential.
Phillip had already apologized earlier in the day on X after her claim went viral online.
BREAKING – Not even a full 24 hours after CNN’s Abby Phillip was forced to issue a retraction after lying and claiming Mamdani was the target of the Islamist attack in NYC, Ana Navarro repeats the same exact lie with zero pushback from Abby. pic.twitter.com/yRjVEXVr6a
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) March 11, 2026
But the error did not occur in isolation. During the same Tuesday night broadcast, CNN political commentator Ana Navarro repeated the same claim before being immediately challenged by Republican panelist Joe Borelli.
“To be clear, the attack wasn’t on Mayor Mamdani,” Borelli said. “It was attacking protesters, people protesting Mamdani. To frame it as an anti-Muslim attack would actually completely reverse what happened. Someone who shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ threw a bomb that didn’t go off at the protesters.”
The confusion extended beyond the panel discussion. CNN senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere also drew criticism after posting on X that Mamdani had been the “target of political violence.” Dovere later deleted the post and issued a correction.
“I want to correct something I posted earlier on X, which inaccurately implied that Mayor Mamdani was the target of political violence in last week’s ISIS-inspired attempted terror attack in New York City,” Dovere wrote in a follow-up message. “Law enforcement officials have said the two terror suspects threw improvised explosive devices at an anti-Islam demonstration and a counterprotest near Mayor Mamdani’s home Saturday, but did not say that he was the target. I apologize for the error and have deleted the original post.”
The network’s coverage drew additional criticism earlier in the week after a now-deleted CNN social media post appeared to downplay the seriousness of the incident. The original post described the suspects as “two Pennsylvania teenagers” who had traveled to New York City on what “could’ve been a normal day enjoying the city during abnormally warm weather” before their lives “drastically changed” when they were arrested for throwing homemade bombs.
BREAKING: CNN’s Abby Phillip was just FORCED to APOLOGIZE on LIVE TV after claiming the Muslim bombers in NYC targeted Mayor Mamdani, not Christians.
X is holding these fools accountable.
pic.twitter.com/9ZP52URu4z— Jack (@jackunheard) March 12, 2026
BREAKING: CNN’s Abby Phillip was just FORCED to APOLOGIZE on LIVE TV after claiming the Muslim bombers in NYC targeted Mayor Mamdani, not Christians.The post sparked backlash and was later removed. CNN followed up with a statement acknowledging the message had failed to reflect the gravity of the situation and did not meet the network’s editorial standards.
According to federal prosecutors, the suspects—identified as 18-year-old Emir Balat and 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi of Pennsylvania—are now facing serious federal charges. Authorities allege the pair threw improvised explosive devices toward law enforcement officers and demonstrators gathered outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City mayor.
Both men have been charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction.
Court documents indicate both suspects are U.S. citizens. One has parents who are naturalized citizens originally from Turkey, while the other’s parents are naturalized citizens from Afghanistan.
The attempted attack, which occurred during protests outside the mayor’s residence, remains under investigation as federal authorities continue examining potential ISIS influence and any broader connections tied to the suspects.
