Army veteran accused of throwing incendiary device at NYC federal building carried anti-ICE material, FBI says

By Brynn Gingras, John Miller, Josh Campbell, Chris Boyette, Taylor Romine, CNN

New York (CNN) — People were slowly trickling into the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building in Lower Manhattan on Monday, the New York streets still relatively quiet on a warm morning.

Then, just before 9 a.m., Andrew Arrabaca, a 43-year-old Army veteran who officials said “came armed with bad intentions,” lit the fire.

In front of Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza, Arrabaca emptied a bucket of gasoline onto the ground outside of an employee entrance and ignited it with a lighter and a “large firework in a canister,” officials said.

A sign saying “ICE off our streets” affixed to a cart carrying his weapons, officials said. Arrabaca had six incendiary devices and other destructive items, officials said.

The nation’s tallest federal building houses dozens of government agencies, including the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and thousands of federal employees. There is also an immigration court and a holding facility that jailed migrants have accused of being “dirty, smelly and overcrowded.”

Monday’s attack came as two people were killed in stops by ICE agents in recent weeks in Maine and Texas, stoking tensions as President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda continues in full view before the American public.

After lighting the fire, Arrabaca also pulled out an airsoft rifle — a device commonly used in sports and recreation resembling a gun, but fires less lethal projectiles rather than bullets — and fired five to seven pellets, officials said.

Authorities say Arrabaca, who was also armed with two axes, a hammer, a machete and three knives, was “targeting” 26 Federal Plaza.

One civilian and two federal employees were injured in the attack, officials said.

“He was OK if he hurt or killed people going in and out of the building, whether they were federal employees or civilians,” James Barnacle, the assistant director in charge of the FBI New York Field Office, said Monday afternoon at a news conference.

Alongside nearby Foley Square, 26 Federal Plaza has been the epicenter of immigration enforcement in New York City, and a flashpoint for protests and incidents between immigration officials and demonstrators.

Last year, migrants were repeatedly arrested at the building while trying to attend their immigration court hearings. Local Democratic officials, including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, have been arrested at 26 Federal Plaza while protesting immigration policies.

And in the fall, more than a dozen demonstrators were arrested nearby after attempting to stop federal agents from conducting immigration and enforcement activities, a law enforcement official said at the time.

Video on social media shows flames outside the building – and someone tossing something into the flames, leading to what appears to be fireworks going off – before another person extinguishes the fire. Separate video shows law enforcement officers emerging out of a heavy plume of smoke outside the building.

Arrabaca enlisted in the Army from 2001 to 2005, where he worked as either a repairman or a mechanic on Patriot missile systems, Barnacle said.

When he was arrested, he was yelling “derogatory terms to ICE,” officials said.

Ironically, Barnacle said, the civilian who was hurt was an immigrant who had a hearing Monday in their immigration case. A naturalization ceremony scheduled for Monday was also canceled.

Authorities have found what they believe is Arrabaca’s vehicle, and are working to get a warrant to search it, Barnacle said. It appears he took the subway down to Penn Station Sunday night, stayed near the Holland Tunnel overnight, and then arrived in the area of the attack around 5:00 a.m., he said.

The entire incident was captured on a New York Police Department camera, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, according to the FBI. The New York Police Department’s bomb squad also was called into examine the fireworks and other items in the cart.

Arrabaca is in custody and speaking with law enforcement after being informed of his Miranda rights, Barnacle said. Charges have yet to be filed in state or federal court, officials said, and CNN is working to identify an attorney for Arrabaca.

The Army veteran has had interactions with law enforcement in the past, but nothing to the level of what happened in Monday’s attack, Barnacle said.

“Obviously, he is an anti-American, anti-government extremist,” he added. “We know that from what he has said post-arrest, and we know that from his actions that he tried to take today.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Andrew Arrabaca’s last name.

CNN’s Mark Morales contributed to this report.

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