Updated

Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 20

Andrew Arrabaca Sets Fire at 26 Federal Plaza, Injuring 3 in Apparent Anti-ICE Attack

Updated

Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 20

Andrew Arrabaca Sets Fire at 26 Federal Plaza, Injuring 3 in Apparent Anti-ICE Attack

Q: Was the attack on 26 Federal Plaza linked to the controversial ICE detention center housed inside the building?

No confirmed link has been established between the incident at 26 Federal Plaza and the ICE detention facility inside the building. What is known is that 26 Federal Plaza houses several federal operations, including the FBI’s New York Field Office, immigration courts, and an ICE holding area that has drawn scrutiny over detention conditions. That has led to protests, lawsuits, and public criticism tied to the building. But in the reporting provided on Monday’s incident, authorities said only that a person was arrested after deploying an incendiary device outside the building, that a firearm was recovered, and that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating. The presence of ICE personnel at the scene does not by itself show motive. ICE has offices and operations in the building, so its agents’ presence could simply reflect the location and the agencies based there. The available reporting does not identify the suspect’s motive, any manifesto, or any statement tying the act to the detention center. So while the ICE facility is one prominent and controversial part of 26 Federal Plaza, there is currently no public evidence in the material provided that the attack specifically targeted it. The motive remains under investigation.

3 articles · Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 20

26 Federal Plaza was hit around 8:30 a.m. when Andrew Arrabaca, 43, doused a stairwell with gasoline, ignited it with a firework and fired several airsoft pellets before officers subdued him.
FBI officials said Arrabaca came armed with two axes, a hammer, knives, fireworks and gasoline, and told investigators he was targeting the building and accepted that federal workers or civilians could be hurt.
Three people suffered minor injuries — one civilian and two government employees — but firefighters stopped the blaze before it reached offices used by immigrant-processing staff, FBI agents and ICE officers.
A cart Arrabaca wheeled carried an "ICE Off Our Streets" sign, and DHS labeled him an anti-ICE rioter as the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force investigates and charges remain pending.
Arrabaca, a former Army mechanic on Patriot missile systems from 2001 to 2005, attacked a major Lower Manhattan federal hub as immigration enforcement remains a flashpoint in New York.