An Army veteran from the United States is facing an arson charge following an incident outside a New York City federal building, which includes an immigration court and offices for various government agencies like the FBI. The man reportedly set a fire and fired a pellet gun during the event on Monday.
The individual in question, 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca, appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday in connection with these actions at 26 Federal Plaza. During the court appearance, Arrabaca did not submit a plea.
Arrabaca, who previously worked as a mechanic on the Army’s Patriot missile systems, reportedly held anti-ICE and anti-government sentiments. This information was disclosed by James Barnacle, the assistant director responsible for the FBI’s New York Field Office, in a statement on Monday.
Authorities detained the individual in question outside a federal building located in New York City. (FNTV)
“He is an anti-American, anti-government extremist,” Barnacle conveyed to reporters present at the scene.
Voter records show he has registered as a Democrat and was a member of the left-wing Working Families party.
Arrabaca “came armed with bad intentions” and was found with a range of weapons, including a pellet gun, knives, a hammer, and a machete. Authorities said the upstate New York resident arrived at the federal building sometime around 8:30 a.m. and lit a large firework before pouring a liquid that ignited a fire.
Videos and images from the scene showed a fire with a plume of smoke and bright orange flames near a building entrance, as well as law enforcement officers restraining the suspect.
In addition to allegedly setting the fire, Arrabaca also fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building, Barnacle said. He was arrested by federal officials a short time later and has been in custody since.
He made several anti-government and anti-ICE statements during the incident and said “he was okay if he hurt or killed people going in and out of the building, whether they were federal employees or civilians,” the FBI said.
Upon his arrest, authorities said they found Arrabaca with two axes, a hammer, a machete and three knives.
Federal prosecutors said he had been planning the attack since January, when he began buying supplies and visiting sites around New York. Defense attorneys said Arrabaca has mental health issues, and asked that he be placed in a Department of Veterans Affairs mental health hospital for evaluation and treatment.
The federal building in Lower Manhattan has been the scene of protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency charged with enforcing the nation’s immigration laws amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
One of two people hurt during Monday’s incident was an immigrant who appeared at the building for a hearing, the FBI said.