Army veteran in custody, accused of starting fire outside NYC federal building, FBI says

NEW YORK —

The man accused of setting off fireworks and lighting a fire Monday morning in front of a New York building housing an immigration court and other government offices is a former U.S. Army soldier, an FBI official said.

Andrew Arrabaca, who was a mechanic on Patriot missile systems, is in custody and has been interviewed, said James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office.

Barnacle said at a news conference that the 43-year-old Arrabaca “came armed with bad intentions” and had various weapons, including a pellet gun, knives, a hammer and a machete. Arrabaca fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building, he said.

“He is an anti-American, anti-government extremist,” Barnacle said.

No charges have been announced yet against Arrabaca, and it was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer.

As the flames erupted outside an entrance to the building at 26 Federal Plaza, the person was tackled by a security officer and taken into custody, video shows.

The lower Manhattan building, 26 Federal Plaza, has become a focal point for demonstrations against the immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.

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The individual in custody was carrying anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement material, according to law enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security accused the person of being an “anti-ICE rioter” and said the incident took place around 8:20 a.m., when the person allegedly launched fireworks outside the building and then poured what’s believed to be gasoline on the stairs to an entrance and set it on fire.

DHS said the person had what appeared to be two pellet guns in their bag.

A bystander was grazed by the fireworks, and the security officer who tackled the person sustained minor injuries, the agency said. The New York Fire Department said one person was transported to the hospital, but their injuries weren’t life-threatening.

“What occurred outside 26 Federal Plaza this morning was deeply disturbing,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on social media. “I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody.”

Mamdani said his team was in touch with police and will support the federal investigation. The FBI said its New York Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating.

The building houses several government offices — including the New York office of the FBI — and the immigration court where agents have carried out chaotic and sometimes violent arrests in the hallway as migrants leave hearings.

Videos and photos from the scene showed a fire with a plume of smoke on the sidewalk outside the building, as well as officers restraining a person and taking them away.