An Army veteran set a fire, ignited fireworks and waved an air rifle at passers-by outside a building in Lower Manhattan in an attack targeting federal immigration authorities, law enforcement officials said.
The incident happened around 8:20 a.m. outside 26 Federal Plaza, according to the Department of Homeland Security. A pedestrian was grazed by fireworks and an officer was hurt wrestling the suspect to the ground, the agency said.
James Barnacle, the assistant director in charge of the F.B.I. field office in New York, identified the man who was arrested as Andrew Arrabaca, 43, an Army veteran from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Mr. Arrabaca made statements against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in an interview with investigators, he added.
Officials said the suspect was carrying a manifesto, two air rifles and what appeared to be gasoline. He wheeled the items in a cart with an “ICE OFF OUR STREETS” poster affixed to it, according to two government officials and a person with knowledge of the matter. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
The Fire Department said three people suffered minor injuries. One of them was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, while the other two refused medical attention, officials said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said its New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Police and Fire Departments, was investigating the incident. City fire marshals are also assisting, officials said.
A woman who lives across the street from the building said she ran over to her window after hearing the pop of the fireworks. She said she saw a man pick up a gun, which prompted her to grab her cellphone and start recording a video.
In the video, which she shared with The New York Times, a man wearing baggy pants, a graphic T-shirt and a helmet can be seen picking up an orange bucket of liquid out of a cart and pulling a lighter out of his pocket. Then, he hustles toward the entrance, where he pours the liquid on steps between two planters and sets fire to it.
As bright orange flames and dark smoke shoot up, he runs back to his cart and picks up a rectangular item. Then he runs back toward the fire, stopping several feet away and gesturing as if he was beckoning a confrontation. Then, he tosses the item into the fire.
He runs back toward the cart once again, where an officer confronts him as another officer with a dog runs off with a brown rifle from the cart, according to the video. The suspect falls to the ground with the first officer as backup arrived and helps pin him to the ground.
In a statement, Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident “deeply disturbing.”
“I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody,” he said, adding that his team was monitoring and supporting 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.”
The building, which houses federal immigration courts and the local ICE field office, has become a flashpoint since President Trump returned to power last year. As Mr. Trump dedicated more resources to immigration enforcement across the country, protests at ICE facilities across the nation surged.
Protesters and elected Democratic officials have focused their efforts in New York City on the building at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. Some were arrested in September while seeking access to cells inside the building where ICE holds asylum seekers and immigrants. The police had briefly evacuated the building a month earlier after officials discovered envelopes containing white powder.
After the incident on Monday, a gaggle of investigators were clustered on the Worth Street side of the building near a large, boxy police truck emblazoned with the words “Bomb Squad.” Two people wore white hazardous material suits.
Police officers in uniform surrounded the scene, closing off Worth Street between Lafayette and Broadway. The incident did not appear to cause any significant disruptions at the building. Immigration lawyers on the inside said it was operating normally.
The sound of the fireworks early on Monday alerted residents, workers and court visitors, who were confused and alarmed.
Christopher Delaroa ran to his seventh-story apartment window on Worth Street across from 26 Federal Plaza when he heard his husband shout in alarm.
Outside, he saw a man shooting fireworks from a rifle near the building’s employee entrance. Building workers arriving for the day dashed into the building and ran down the street in terror.
“It looked like a gun, he started shooting fireworks out of the gun,” said Mr. Delaroa, 45. “That’s pretty scary.”
He said the fireworks made loud pops and looked like “red sparklers.”
The resident who shared her video with The Times said she initially thought the noise could have been an early morning World Cup celebration. But it still seemed unusual on Worth Street, a major artery for cars and buses. She could not recall an instance of violence.
John Jang was opening his shop, KC Novelty, near the southwest corner of Worth and Broadway when he heard the “Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta” of fireworks coming from the direction of the federal building and then saw the fire and smoke. He said he saw several people who had been waiting in line to get into the public entrance at the front of the building run or walk away.
“Everyone was confused,” he said. “People were running, people were clearing.”
Omar Pulla, 49, was working inside the parking garage directly across the street from 26 Federal Plaza when he heard loud bangs coming from outside. He got particularly worried once he saw the police.
“We were nervous,” he said, “we saw police running.”.
Emma Goldberg, William K. Rashbaum and Hurubie Meko contributed reporting.
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