A 43-year-old former Army soldier allegedly set fire to the entrance of 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan while armed with axes, knives, a machete, and anti-ICE literature, and the FBI is investigating it as terrorism.
Andrew Arrabaca was taken into custody Monday morning after he allegedly deployed an incendiary device outside the Lower Manhattan federal building that houses the FBI's New York field office, a federal immigration court, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices. Two law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital that Arrabaca had "anti-ICE stuff on him" at the time of the attack. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation.
FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director James Barnacle Jr. described the scene in stark terms. Arrabaca arrived at the building around 8:20 a.m. carrying an unidentified liquid, believed to be gasoline, and placed it on the ground before setting fireworks on top of it, causing what Barnacle called a "little fire" on the building's entrance stairs. A Federal Protective Service officer tackled and detained Arrabaca, sustaining minor injuries in the process.
What officers found in Arrabaca's bag turned a disturbing incident into something far more alarming. The Department of Homeland Security said the bag contained what appeared to be two pellet guns and a manifesto. But the full inventory, as detailed by the Washington Examiner, went well beyond that: two axes, a hammer, a machete, three fixed-blade knives, an airsoft rifle, fireworks, and six incendiary devices.
Arrabaca did not come to 26 Federal Plaza to protest. He came armed for something worse.
Barnacle did not hold back at the FBI's announcement. He identified Arrabaca as a 43-year-old veteran from Poughkeepsie, New York, who served in the Army from 2001 to 2005, and called him what the evidence suggested.
As the Associated Press reported, Barnacle stated plainly:
"The building was attacked. Mr. Arrabaca was looking to injure people and harm people."
He went further, labeling Arrabaca "an anti-American, anti-government extremist." Arrabaca was also carrying an anti-ICE sign at the time of his arrest, along with anti-ICE literature and the manifesto whose contents have not been publicly disclosed.
Three people suffered minor injuries in the attack. Barnacle identified two of them as a federal employee and a civilian, both of whom were treated and released. The DHS statement separately noted that the FPS officer who tackled Arrabaca also sustained minor injuries. Whether that officer is counted among Barnacle's total of two, or represents a third injured party, remains unclear from official statements.
The FBI has ramped up domestic enforcement operations in recent months, and the Joint Terrorism Task Force taking the lead on this case signals how seriously federal law enforcement views the incident.
The choice of target was not random. Twenty-six Federal Plaza is one of the most prominent federal buildings in the country. It houses ICE-related offices, federal immigration courts, and the FBI's own New York field office. It has been a focal point for anti-immigration-enforcement protests for years.
Barnacle acknowledged this history directly. As the Washington Times reported, he told journalists:
"26 Federal Plaza has long been a target of extremists of terrorists, and today the extremism was brought here."
DHS, in its own statement released Monday afternoon, described Arrabaca as "an anti-ICE rioter" who "launched fireworks outside of 26 Federal Plaza, grazing a bystander" before pouring "what is believed to be gasoline on the stairs of the entrance of the building and set it on fire." The agency credited the FPS Protective Security Officer with swiftly ending the attack.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the basics in a post on X, writing that "an individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza in New York" and that the Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating. Patel, who has faced scrutiny from media critics over his leadership style, has drawn attention for his direct public communications on major FBI actions.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a statement on X responding to the incident. He called what happened "deeply disturbing" and said he was "relieved no one was seriously injured."
Mamdani's full statement read:
"What occurred outside 26 Federal Plaza this morning was deeply disturbing. I'm relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody. 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."
The statement was measured. But it left unaddressed the broader political climate around ICE enforcement that has made federal buildings into flashpoints. Mamdani pledged accountability for "any who threaten" public safety, a standard any mayor would offer. Whether that accountability extends to the political movement that treats immigration enforcement as illegitimate is a question his statement did not answer.
Initial reports indicated ICE agents were involved in the arrest, though the DHS statement credited the FPS officer with physically detaining Arrabaca. That discrepancy has not been publicly reconciled. The FBI's handling of high-profile cases has drawn ongoing public interest, and the details of this investigation will likely face close scrutiny as more information emerges.
Authorities have not released the contents of the manifesto found in Arrabaca's bag. They have not announced formal charges. The liquid he allegedly poured on the building's steps has been described only as "believed to be gasoline", not confirmed. These are gaps that the investigation will presumably fill in the days ahead.
But what is already public paints a clear enough picture. A man arrived at a federal building that processes immigration cases. He carried gasoline, fireworks, six incendiary devices, two airsoft rifles, two axes, three knives, a machete, a hammer, anti-ICE literature, and a manifesto. He set fire to the entrance. He injured three people. And when a federal security officer put him on the ground, he was wearing anti-ICE materials.
The New York Post reported that Arrabaca, a veteran from Poughkeepsie who served from 2001 to 2005, fired an airsoft rifle during the attack in addition to deploying the incendiary devices. The FBI has not said whether Arrabaca acted alone or had contact with any organized group.
The FBI has been active on multiple enforcement fronts in recent months, including high-profile arrests across a range of federal cases. This incident, though, stands apart. An armed individual targeting a federal immigration building with incendiary devices and a written manifesto is not a protest that got out of hand. It is the kind of act the Joint Terrorism Task Force exists to investigate.
For years, anti-ICE rhetoric has escalated from political disagreement into something closer to open hostility toward the people who enforce federal immigration law. Monday morning in Lower Manhattan showed where that road leads when someone decides to act on it.