On Monday morning, Andrew Arrabaca, a 43‑year‑old former U.S. Army specialist, ignited a pellet gun and fireworks outside the FBI headquarters at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The fire department swiftly extinguished the blaze, but the incident left three people with minor injuries, including one immigrant attending a status hearing.
Federal agents tackled Arrabaca, who reportedly carried a machete, two axes, three knives, and a handful of fireworks. During the confrontation, he lobbed several pellets from an airsoft gun toward the federal building and poured an accelerant onto the stairway, after which the fire erupted.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security described the suspect as an "anti‑ICE rioter" and an “anti‑American, anti‑government extremist.” The FBI’s New York Assistant Director, James Barnacle, confirmed that Arrabaca was armed with two axes, a machete, three knives and fireworks, and that he made several anti‑government statements during the incident.
Arrabaca served in the regular U.S. Army from 2001‑04 and in the Army National Guard‑New York from 2004‑05, according to sources, leaving the Army with the rank of specialist. He has no deployment history. The lower‑Manhattan site—home to the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—has been a flashpoint for protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident “deeply disturbing” on X, assuring residents that the administration would continue to protect their safety and hold accountable those who threaten it.
