CNN anchor Abby Phillip issued an on-air apology on Wednesday night, following earlier corrections by X for misleading language. Phillip, 37, addressed a false statement she made during her Tuesday broadcast. She had informed NewsNight viewers that a suspected ISIS-linked attack near New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s residence was directly aimed at him. This claim sparked widespread criticism as authorities clarified that the suspects, Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, targeted far-right protesters rather than Mamdani. The suspects were reportedly motivated by ISIS.

During Wednesday’s edition of NewsNight, Phillip revisited the issue, addressing the error for the second time. She stated, “This morning I issued a correction on X for a mistake I made during last night’s show, but I also wanted to address it on air. I incorrectly stated that the bombs thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects in New York over the weekend were aimed at Mayor Mamdani. They were not. I missed and failed to correct this mistake in real-time, and I take full responsibility. While errors occur, it is vital to acknowledge and rectify them.” Notably, regular panelist Ana Navarro, who had made the same error without apologizing, was absent from the show. Unlike Phillip, Navarro had been corrected on-air.

Phillip’s late-night apology did not address how her social media post from the previous morning was flagged by X’s community notes feature for suggesting Mamdani might have been a target. Her original post read, “The bombs thrown in New York City over the weekend by ISIS-inspired attackers were hurled into a crowd of anti-Muslim protesters, not specifically at Mayor Mamdani. That wording was incorrect, and I didn’t catch it in time. I apologize for the error.” The community notes feature, which provides context from readers, highlighted Phillip’s use of “specifically.” It noted that her wording implied Mamdani could have been a target, which was inaccurate according to reports and testimonies from the suspects. The note clarified, “Bombs were thrown at protesters and police to harm as many civilians as possible.”

The incident in question, meanwhile, remains under investigation. It happened Saturday afternoon, when a group of protesters had gathered against what they framed as an ‘Islamic takeover of New York City.’ A larger group of counter-protesters then arrived. The discussion on Tuesday’s NewsNight had involved whether Republicans were using the failed strike to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment. Mamdani, 34, is Muslim. ‘Up next, two Republicans say Muslims don’t belong here after an attempted terror attack against New York’s Mayor, Zohran Mamdani,’ Phillip erroneously said while teasing said segment, referring to GOP Congressmen Andy Ogles and Randy Fine.

Minutes later, Navarro told the panel: ‘What I find ironic is – so, supposedly, some of these comments are as a result of the attempt against Mayor Mamdani in New York, who was raised Muslim. Was he not?’ Former New York City Council Republican Joe Borelli was quick to flag: ‘The attack wasn’t on Mayor Mamdani. It was attacking protesters, people protesting Mamdani.’ Navarro, however, insisted over him, ‘It was at his house!’ – making the claim twice as the retired politician tried to speak. The exchange ended with Navarro avoiding any pushback for her comments.

Balat was heard shouting, ‘Allahu Akbar’ before hurling one of two homemade explosives recovered by authorities that did not go off, officials and witnesses said. Earlier in the day, CNN deleted a tweet about the suspects and issued a correction. The post described Balat and Kayumi as ‘two Pennsylvania teenagers’ who simply ‘crossed into New York City Saturday morning for what could’ve been a normal day enjoying the city during abnormally warm weather.’ ‘But in less than an hour, their lives would drastically change as the pair would be arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home,’ it continued.

The post’s forgiving language was promptly ridiculed by countless onlookers before being deleted. The post ‘failed to reflect the gravity of the incident thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting. ‘It has therefore been deleted,’ a CNN spokesperson told the Daily Mail on Tuesday. The suspects, as of writing, have both been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization and using a weapon of mass destruction. Balat stood with counter-protesters who convened during the incident, according to a federal complaint. Both are also said to have told police that their intent was for the attack to be ‘even larger’ than the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, which killed three.