NEW YORK — A former U.S. Army soldier who harbored disdain for immigration agents attacked the federal building in Lower Manhattan on Monday morning, using an incendiary device to start a large fire before he was detained, FBI officials said.
The man, identified as 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca, approached the building at 26 Federal Plaza armed with two pellet guns, a hammer, machete and three knives, James Barnacle, the assistant director of the FBI’s New York field office, said during a news conference. The suspect then detonated fireworks before dumping gasoline to start a fire, he said.
Arrabaca was quickly detained by private security contractors who work at the federal building, according to Barnacle. Two of them, as well as a civilian, received minor injuries during the attack and Arrabaca’s subsequent arrest, he added.
Barnacle said Arrabaca was “targeting that building” where federal employees and civilians were entering and exiting.
James M. McDonald, the deputy U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said prosecutors were still considering what charges to bring against Arrabaca.
The event unfolded about 8:30 a.m. at a building that houses an array of federal agencies, including Department of Homeland Security offices. Over the past year, the building has been the scene of protests and conflict as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been arresting undocumented immigrants who show up for court proceedings.
The incident follows at least two other attacks outside of ICE facilities as the agency carries out the Trump administration’s mass deportation operations.
Last July, a shooting outside an ICE detention center in Alvarado, Texas, wounded a police officer. About two months later, a gunman opened fire at an ICE detention center in Dallas, killing one detainee and critically injuring two others. Officials said the gunman had wanted to harm ICE officials.
Federal law enforcement officials describe Arrabaca as an “anti-ICE rioter.”
Barnacle said Arrabaca was pushing a cart with a sign expressing his disapproval with ICE Photos taken outside the building show an FBI agent inspecting a pushcart that contained an “ICE off our streets” sign.
Arrabaca, who is from Poughkeepsie, New York, but had recently been staying in Harlem, also made “derogatory” statements about ICE as he was being arrested, Barnacle said.
Arrabaca served in the Army from 2001 to 2005 as a mechanic on Patriot missile systems, the FBI said.
A video posted to social media by FreedomNews TV, an independent outlet, shows a chaotic scene as federal agents apprehended a man while smoke radiates from the side of the building.
The FBI’s New York field office said in a statement Monday morning that its Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating the incident. A DHS spokesperson said officials found a possible manifesto during the investigation.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said her agency is assisting federal authorities by using the city’s vast surveillance network to track Arrabaca’s movements in the hours leading up to the attack.
Tisch said police had discovered Arrabaca’s vehicle parked along West 124th Street in Harlem. He is believed to have traveled by subway to Lower Manhattan on Sunday evening.
At about 8:30 a.m., Tisch said Arrabaca arrived at the federal building wearing a “military-style helmet.”
He then allegedly light fireworks and then retrieved a pellet gun and fired several rounds at the building. Arrabaca then retrieved a bucket of suspected gasoline and start the fire, Tisch said.
Barnacle said the two security officers then tackled Arrabaca.
City police officers, who had received a call about a possible active shooter at the building, also began flooding into the area.
Barnacle said Arrabaca has had “a couple” of past encounters with law enforcement officials, but declined to describe those encounters, except to say they were “nothing rising to this level.”
Officials said most agencies in the federal building maintained a normal schedule after Monday’s incident. A naturalization ceremony that had been scheduled in the building on Monday was canceled, Barnacle said.
He also noted that the civilian sustained minor injuries during the attack was an immigrant attending a hearing in the federal building.
“That is quite unfortunate and quite ironic at the same time,” Barnacle said.
Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this report.
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