Three people were injured after an anti-ICE protester allegedly set off fireworks Monday morning in front of 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.
The suspect is Andrew Arrabaca, a 43-year-old Army veteran who served from 2001 to 2005. On the day of the incident, he had two axes, a hammer, a machete, three fixed-blade knives, six incendiary devices and other destructive items on him, as well as a shopping cart with “ICE off our streets” attached to it. When he was being arrested, he yelled “derogatory” things about ICE, James Barnacle, the assistant director in charge of FBI’s New York field office, said Monday at a news conference.
Barnacle called Arrabaca an “anti-American, anti-government extremist” and said he “came armed with bad intentions.”
“We know that from what he said, from what he has said post-arrest and we know that from what his actions that he tried to take today,” Barnacle said.
Barnacle said during Arrabaca’s interview, Arrabacca admitted his goal was to target the building and it was OK if he hurt or killed anyone going in or out of the building.
One civilian and two government employees were injured. Barnacle said the one civilian who was injured was an immigrant who had a hearing for their immigration status.
“So that’s quite unfortunate and quite ironic at the same time,” Barnacle said.
Charges haven’t been made.
Jessica Tisch, the New York Police Department commissioner, described the scene, saying the suspect ignited a bundle of fireworks, fired his airsoft rifle, then dumped an incendiary liquid between two bushes along the perimeter of the building, igniting a fire. He was then taken into custody.
Shortly after the incident, the New York Police Department told JS that an individual was “menacing” people with a firearm and used an incendiary device to set off fireworks at around 8:30 a.m. Monday morning outside the office building. The person was taken into custody, and the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, the FBI said in a statement to JS.
26 Federal Plaza houses several federal agencies, including the FBI’s New York Field Office, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ New York field office, and an immigration court.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a statement that he is grateful police kept everyone safe.
“Acts of terror and violence have no place in our City and will never be tolerated,” Jeffries said. “The individual responsible for this must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The incident follows two fatal shootings by ICE officers this month. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, 52, was killed July 7 after an ICE officer shot him in Houston, and Johan Sebastián Guerrero, 25, was killed a few days later by an ICE officer in Maine.