By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A former U.S. Army soldier set off fireworks, lit a fire and fired a pellet gun in front of a New York building housing an immigration court and other government offices Monday morning, an FBI official said.
Andrew Arrabaca, who was a mechanic on Patriot missile systems, is in custody and has been interviewed, said James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office. No charges have been announced yet against Arrabaca, and it was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer.
“Mr. Arrabaca was looking to injure people and harm people,” Barnacle said at a news conference.
Arrabaca was tackled by a security officer and taken into custody about 8:20 a.m. as flames erupted outside an entrance to the building at 26 Federal Plaza, which has become a focal point for demonstrations against the immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.
Barnacle said Arrabaca, 43, “came armed with bad intentions” and had various weapons, including a pellet gun, knives, axes, a hammer and a machete. Arrabaca fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building, he said.
“He is an anti-American, anti-government extremist,” Barnacle said.
He said Arrabaca had a cart with “anti-ICE literature” on it and “yelled derogatory terms” toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement as he was being arrested. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Arrabaca had a sign affixed to his cart that read “ICE off our streets” and was wearing a military style helmet.
“In that post-arrest interview, he did say he was targeting the building and he was OK if he hurt or killed people going in and out of the building, whether they were federal employees or civilians,” Barnacle said.
Barnacle said three people had minor injuries: one civilian and two government employees. DHS said a bystander was grazed by the fireworks, and the security officer who tackled the person sustained minor injuries, the agency said. The New York Fire Department said one person was transported to the hospital, but their injuries weren’t life-threatening.
Barnacle said the civilian who was injured was an immigrant who had a hearing Monday.
“What occurred outside 26 Federal Plaza this morning was deeply disturbing,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on social media. “I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody.”
Mamdani said his team was in touch with police and will support the federal investigation. The FBI said its New York Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating.
The building houses several government offices — including the New York office of the FBI — and the immigration court where agents have carried out chaotic and sometimes violent arrests in the hallway as migrants leave hearings.
Videos and photos from the scene showed a fire with a plume of smoke on the sidewalk outside the building, as well as officers restraining a person and taking them away. ___
Stengle reported from Dallas. Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington.