Army Veteran Arrested After Setting Fire Outside NYC Federal Building
On July 20, 2026, Andrew Arrabaca, a 43-year-old U.S. Army veteran, was arrested outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan after igniting a fire and firing a pellet gun. The building houses offices for ICE, the FBI, and immigration courts.
Arrabaca approached the building's employee entrance at approximately 8:30 a.m. wearing a military-style helmet and pushing a cart with a sign that read “ICE Off Our Streets,” according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. He poured gasoline on the ground and lit it with a lighter and a large firework, causing a blaze. Arrabaca then fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft gun toward the building.
Authorities reported that Arrabaca was armed with two axes, three fixed-blade knives, a hammer, a machete, and fireworks, in addition to the pellet gun. The incident resulted in minor injuries to three individuals: two government employees and one civilian attending an immigration hearing. A bystander was grazed by fireworks, and a security officer sustained minor injuries while tackling Arrabaca. One person was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle described Arrabaca as an “anti-American, anti-government extremist” who showed disregard for human life. The Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, though it has not been officially labeled as a terrorist act.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the event “deeply disturbing” and expressed relief that no serious injuries occurred.