A former U.S. Army soldier started fire outside a NYC federal building and fired a pellet gun, FBI says - PBS

What the report says

PBS, carrying Associated Press reporting, reported that Andrew Arrabaca, a 43-year-old former U.S. Army soldier, was taken into custody after an incident Monday morning outside 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, a federal building that includes an immigration court and multiple government offices. James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said Arrabaca had been interviewed by authorities and had previously worked as a mechanic on Patriot missile systems.

According to the FBI official cited in the report, Arrabaca allegedly set a fire outside an entrance, set off fireworks and fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building. Barnacle said Arrabaca had several weapons or tools with him, including a pellet gun, knives, a hammer and a machete, and characterized him as an anti-government extremist. Video from the scene showed a security officer tackling the suspect as flames burned near the entrance, PBS/AP reported.

The Department of Homeland Security said the episode occurred around 8:20 a.m. and alleged that the suspect poured what was believed to be gasoline on entrance steps before igniting it. DHS also said a bystander was grazed by fireworks and the security officer suffered minor injuries. The New York Fire Department reported that one person was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating. PBS/AP noted that 26 Federal Plaza has been the site of protests over Trump administration immigration policies and houses the immigration court where arrests by agents in hallways have drawn attention. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was relieved no one was seriously hurt and that the city would support the federal inquiry.