A man was arrested after the FBI and New York City Police Department said he ignited fireworks and started a fire outside a federal building in Lower Manhattan on Monday morning.
The incident happened at 8:20 a.m. outside 26 Federal Plaza, a building that houses dozens of agencies including the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Officials identified the suspect as Andrew Arrabaca, 43, a U.S. Army veteran from Poughkeepsie with an address in Harlem.
According to a U.S. Army spokesperson, Arrabaca was a Patriot launching station enhanced operator/maintainer in the regular Army from July 2001 to July 2004, and in the Army National Guard-New York from July 2004 to July 2005. He had no deployments and left the Army in the rank of specialist.
“He came armed with bad intentions”
FBI New York Assistant Director James Barnacle said Arrabaca was armed with two axes, a machete, three knives, fireworks and other destructive devices.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the suspect ignited a bundle of fireworks before dumping flammable liquid outside the building and setting it on fire.
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Federal agents ran up to the suspect and tackled him, and the fire department quickly put out the blaze.
“He came armed with bad intentions,” Barnacle said. “Looking to injure people and harm people.”
He described Arrabaca as an anti-ICE activist who had a small cart with him with the slogan “ICE off our streets” written on it.
Police sources said Arrabaca has had a previous encounter with federal agents for acting as an emotionally disturbed person but was not arrested.
The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident.
Airsoft guns, commercial-grade fireworks found
The suspect was carrying two airsoft guns, according to Tisch.
CBS News law enforcement analyst Richard Esposito described the materials as “things you might use in paintball-type events.”
Tisch said he fired several pellets into the air before he doused parts of the building in flammable liquid.
The DHS spokesperson said the man’s bag also contained a manifesto.
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Law enforcement has seized Arrabaca’s car and is working to obtain a search warrant for it.
3 minor injuries at 26 Federal Plaza, FBI says
Barnacle said three people were hurt, two of whom were government employees.
One person was grazed by the fireworks, a DHS spokesperson said. A security officer also had minor injuries after tackling the suspect.
Video from the scene showed heavy smoke in front of the building and law enforcement arresting a man.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident “deeply disturbing.”
“My team is in touch with the NYPD, and we will support the federal investigation. Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city — and hold accountable any who threaten that,” he wrote, in part, on social media.
Police said people should expect traffic delays, mass transit disruptions and road closures near Worth Street and Lafayette Street. They are urging people to avoid the area.
