Andrew Arrabaca, a 43-year-old Army veteran, was identified Monday as the man who deployed an incendiary device outside 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, a federal building housing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI’s New York field office, and other agencies.
Federal Protective Service officers arrested Arrabaca shortly after the device ignited around 8:30 a.m., causing a fire and minor injuries to at least two people. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident as an anti-government attack.
Suspect Background and Items Recovered
Law enforcement sources confirmed Arrabaca, a former U.S. Army mechanic, pushed a cart to the building’s entrance containing fireworks, a flammable liquid, airsoft rifles, a pellet gun, a knife, a hammer, and a sign reading “ICE Off Our Streets.”
He poured an accelerant on the front steps and ignited it using fireworks, officials said. Arrabaca also fired pellet rounds toward the building before officers tackled him. A Federal Protective Service officer sustained minor injuries during the arrest.
During the arrest, Arrabaca yelled derogatory terms directed at ICE. Investigators recovered anti-enforcement materials from the scene and described him as having ties to anti-enforcement activism.
Incident Response and Injuries
Officials reported minor, non-life-threatening injuries to two or three people (some accounts cite up to four including responders), with at least one transported, per CBS News. No serious injuries or fatalities occurred, and officials stated there is no ongoing threat to the public. Nearby streets were temporarily closed during the response.
FBI officials described Arrabaca as an “anti-American, anti-government extremist.” The Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with the FBI New York field office and the Southern District of New York, continues to investigate.
Former ICE Acting Director Tom Homan became emotional while addressing the incident, linking rising threats against immigration agents to anti-enforcement rhetoric. In a video, Homan expressed deep frustration over the pattern of attacks on ICE personnel.
🚨 JUST IN: Tom Homan just got emotional about violence against ICE then STORMED OFF from the press
"I can't even get a carton of milk at a grocery store without a security detail! WHY? Because I'm enforcing laws. IT'S PATHETIC AND IT'S DISGUSTING." 💯
"Guys — ICE agents are… pic.twitter.com/jQln110LO6
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 20, 2026
Provided by Dallas Express
