Andrew Arrabaca, a 43-year-old Army veteran, is accused of setting a fire outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan in what the FBI is treating as a terrorism investigation.
The attack began at approximately 8:20 a.m. when Arrabaca arrived at the employee entrance to the building, located on Worth Street in Lower Manhattan.
According to Charles Barnacle Jr., Assistant Director in Charge for the FBI’s New York Field Office, Arrabaca “arrived at 26 Federal Plaza, just behind us on Worth Street, at the employee entrance to the building where he ignited gasoline.”
Arrabaca is accused of pouring what authorities believe was gasoline onto the entrance steps before igniting it with a lighter and a large firework contained in a canister.
He also reportedly fired an Airsoft rifle and launched fireworks near the building, with one firework grazing a bystander in the area.
Several people sustained minor injuries as a result of the attack, including one civilian and two government employees who were present at the scene.
The NYPD confirmed it was “looking at the cart the suspect wheeled with him,” which bore a sign that read “ICE Off Our Streets,” suggesting a politically motivated motive behind the assault.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security described Arrabaca as an “anti-ICE rioter” and said officers discovered a “manifesto” inside his bag, though Barnacle declined to confirm that detail Monday, stating investigators were still collecting evidence.
Barnacle said Arrabaca “did say he was targeting the building and did say he was OK with” people getting hurt, whether they were federal employees or civilians.
Barnacle described the suspect as someone with prior interactions with law enforcement, though none approaching the severity of Monday’s attack, adding, “Obviously, he is an anti-American, anti-government extremist.”
The Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, as 26 Federal Plaza is also known, houses a number of federal agencies, including ICE, USCIS, an FBI field office, the Social Security Administration, the General Services Administration, and the U.S. Court of International Trade.
The building also contains the New York Federal Plaza Immigration Court, which operates under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, making it a central hub for immigration-related federal operations in New York.
Arrabaca is currently in custody and has been speaking with law enforcement after being informed of his Miranda rights, though charges had not yet been filed in state or federal court at the time of the announcement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is leading the investigation in coordination with the FBI, NYPD, Federal Protective Service, and other agencies.
