Army veteran with ‘ICE Off Our Streets’ sign sets fire and opens pellet gun attack outside Manhattan immigration court, injuring three: authorities - Fortune

What the report says

Fortune, citing Associated Press reporting and federal and city authorities, reported that Andrew Arrabaca, 43, was taken into custody Monday morning after an incident outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, a federal building that includes immigration court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices and other agencies. Officials said Arrabaca, described as a former U.S. Army soldier, arrived with fireworks, gasoline and a cart displaying an “ICE Off Our Streets” message.

Authorities said the episode began around 8:30 a.m. and involved fireworks, a fire set outside the building and shots from an airsoft or pellet-style rifle. FBI New York official James Barnacle said Arrabaca made anti-government and anti-American remarks during and after his arrest. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the FBI gave slightly different accounts of the sequence, but both described the use of fireworks, a flammable liquid and a pellet gun before Federal Protective Service officers and a security contractor subdued him.

Three people were reported injured: two government employees and a civilian who was at the building for an immigration court hearing. The Department of Homeland Security said a bystander was grazed by fireworks and that a security officer who helped tackle the suspect had minor injuries; the Fire Department said one person was hospitalized with injuries not considered life-threatening.

As of Monday evening, Fortune reported that no charges had been announced and it was not clear whether Arrabaca had legal representation. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating, though Barnacle did not label the incident terrorism. The building has been a prominent site for immigration-related protests and has long had heightened security because of past threats against federal landmarks in New York.