A Manhattan ICE fire outside a federal building in lower Manhattan led to the arrest of a former U.S. Army soldier on Monday, according to the FBI. Officials say Andrew Arrabaca, 43, was taken into custody after a blaze broke out at 26 Federal Plaza, where FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices are located.
The FBI said Arrabaca allegedly fired a pellet gun and set off fireworks before pouring an accelerant on the stairs at one entrance, which caused the fire. James Barnacle, an FBI New York assistant director, said Arrabaca was armed with two axes, a machete, three knives and fireworks. He said the suspect fired about five to seven pellets from an airsoft gun toward the building.
Authorities said three people suffered minor injuries in the incident. One was an immigrant who was at the building for a status hearing, according to the FBI. Barnacle said two of those hurt were government employees. The Department of Homeland Security said a bystander was grazed and a security officer who tackled and detained Arrabaca was also hurt.
