By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A suspect identified as Andrew Arrabaca, 43, a former U.S. Army soldier, is in custody after setting a fire outside the federal building at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan that houses an immigration court and other government offices.
- The suspect fired fireworks at the building and poured an accelerant on stairs leading to an entrance before igniting the fire around 8:20 a.m. July 20.
- Arrabaca was carrying anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement materials, multiple weapons including pellet guns, knives, a hammer, and a machete, and was described by federal officials as an “anti-American, anti-government extremist.”
- A security officer immediately tackled the suspect and took him into custody; a bystander was grazed by fireworks, and the security officer sustained minor injuries; one person was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
- The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, which occurred in a building that has become a focal point for demonstrations against Trump administration immigration policies.
NEW YORK — A former U.S. Army mechanic was taken into custody following a fire set outside a federal building housing an immigration court in lower Manhattan on July 20, with federal officials characterizing the suspect as an anti-government extremist who arrived at the scene with multiple weapons.
Andrew Arrabaca, 43, was arrested after setting the fire at 26 Federal Plaza around 8:20 a.m., according to law enforcement statements. Arrabaca was a mechanic on Patriot missile systems during his Army service. James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, stated that Arrabaca “came armed with bad intentions” and arrived at the location carrying multiple weapons: a pellet gun, knives, a hammer, and a machete.
Law enforcement authorities said Arrabaca fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building before pouring what is believed to be gasoline on stairs leading to an entrance and igniting the material. The flames erupted on the sidewalk outside the federal building. Video from the scene shows a security officer immediately tackling the suspect as fire spread on the stairs.
Arrabaca was carrying anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement materials, according to information gathered by law enforcement and preliminarily described by officials. The Department of Homeland Security stated the suspect appeared to possess two pellet guns in a bag at the time of arrest.
A bystander was grazed by fireworks during the incident, and the security officer who tackled the suspect sustained minor injuries. The New York Fire Department transported one person to the hospital; the individual’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Barnacle stated that Arrabaca is “an anti-American, anti-government extremist.” The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident. Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated the occurrence was “deeply disturbing” but expressed relief that no one was seriously injured and that a suspect was in custody.