A 43-year-old Army veteran allegedly set fire to the steps of 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan using gasoline and fireworks, and law enforcement says he brought a manifesto, weapons, and anti-ICE literature with him.
Andrew John Arrabaca was taken into custody Monday morning after he allegedly launched fireworks outside the federal building, poured what authorities believe was gasoline on the entrance stairs, and set the liquid on fire at approximately 8:20 a.m., the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. A Federal Protective Service officer tackled and detained Arrabaca at the scene, sustaining minor injuries in the process. Two other people, a federal employee and a civilian, were also hurt but treated and released.
The building houses the FBI's New York City field office, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, the New York immigration court, and an ICE field office. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest on X, confirming that the Bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force had opened an investigation.
The inventory of what Arrabaca allegedly brought to 26 Federal Plaza goes well beyond fireworks and a jug of gasoline. The Washington Examiner reported that authorities recovered two axes, two airsoft rifles, a hammer, a machete, three knives, fireworks, and anti-ICE materials from Arrabaca's person and a cart he wheeled to the scene. DHS stated that officers also found "what appeared to be two pellet guns and a manifesto" inside his bag.
FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director James Barnacle Jr. described the suspect's intent in blunt terms. The Washington Times reported Barnacle's characterization of Arrabaca as "an anti-American, anti-government extremist."
"The building was attacked. Mr. Arrabaca was looking to injure people and harm people."
Barnacle also said Arrabaca "came armed with bad intentions." Two law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital that the suspect had "anti-ICE stuff on him" at the time of the alleged attack. A top FBI official elaborated that Arrabaca used the cart carrying anti-ICE literature to deploy the incendiary device. The cart also bore a sign reading "ICE Off Our Streets," according to the Washington Times.
Barnacle told reporters that Arrabaca placed the liquid on the ground, set fireworks on top of it, and started what Barnacle called a "little fire." DHS offered a slightly different description, saying Arrabaca "launched fireworks outside of 26 Federal Plaza, grazing a bystander" before pouring the liquid on the stairs and igniting it. The discrepancy between the two accounts, Barnacle calling the liquid "unidentified" while DHS described it as "what is believed to be gasoline", remained unresolved as of the latest available information.
National Review identified Arrabaca as a 43-year-old Army veteran from Poughkeepsie, New York. The Washington Examiner reported he served from 2001 to 2005 as a mechanic. No charges had been filed at the time of the FBI's press conference, and the contents of the manifesto recovered from his bag have not been made public.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, a multi-agency unit that investigates potential acts of domestic and international terrorism, is leading the investigation. Barnacle noted that 26 Federal Plaza "has long been a target of extremists" and added that "today the extremism was brought here."
That a federal building housing ICE offices was targeted by someone carrying anti-ICE propaganda fits a pattern that has concerned law enforcement for years. The administration has taken an increasingly aggressive posture toward those who threaten federal personnel, including recent military action against a violent gang leader abroad.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement on X shortly after the incident. He called what happened "deeply disturbing" and said he was "relieved no one was seriously injured."
"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."
Mamdani's statement did not mention ICE, did not reference the anti-ICE materials found on the suspect, and did not use the word "terrorism." He pledged accountability without naming what, precisely, motivated the attack on a federal building in his city.
DHS was more direct. The department's Monday afternoon statement labeled Arrabaca "an anti-ICE rioter" and described the FPS officer's response as swift. Initial reports suggested ICE agents themselves were involved in the arrest, but DHS attributed the takedown to the Federal Protective Service officer who tackled Arrabaca on the scene.
FBI Director Patel confirmed the basics in his own post on X:
"This morning an individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza in New York. The individual is in custody and two minor injuries reported thus far. FBI [Joint Terrorism Task Force] is investigating the incident."
Several details remain in conflict between official accounts. Barnacle referenced "a pellet gun", singular, while DHS said officers found "two pellet guns." Barnacle called the accelerant an "unidentified liquid"; DHS said it was "believed to be gasoline." And while early reports pointed to ICE agents making the arrest, DHS credited an FPS officer alone.
None of these discrepancies change the core facts: a man arrived at a federal building with an arsenal of weapons, anti-government literature, and a manifesto, then allegedly set the entrance on fire on a Monday morning when federal employees were arriving for work. Three people were hurt. The suspect is in custody. The FBI is treating it as a potential act of terrorism.
No formal charges had been announced as of the latest updates. The manifesto's contents remain undisclosed. Arrabaca's specific affiliations, if any, beyond the anti-ICE materials have not been made public. Breitbart confirmed the suspect's identity and age, noting the recovery of the manifesto and pellet guns from the scene.
When someone shows up at a federal building with axes, knives, a machete, airsoft rifles, gasoline, fireworks, and a manifesto, the question isn't whether he meant harm, it's how much worse it could have been if one federal officer hadn't moved fast enough.