Two people injured in Lower Manhattan blast, FBI director says
A man was taken into custody Monday morning after the FBI said an incendiary device was deployed outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, according to the United Press International and the Associated Press. Authorities responded to the building after hearing the sound of an explosion, UPI reported. Videos and photos from the scene showed a fire with a plume of smoke on the sidewalk outside the building, as well as officers restraining a person and taking them away, the AP said.
When authorities confronted the suspect, he allegedly had two airsoft rifles and was wearing a helmet, UPI reported, citing law enforcement sources. The suspect poured a liquid, possibly an accelerant, on fireworks before lighting them, causing a fire, according to UPI. There were conflicting reports about the fire’s origin, with CNBC reporting it was started in a shopping cart and CBS News reporting that fireworks were set off in a garbage can, UPI said.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation, the FBI said in a statement. FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media that two minor injuries had been reported. The man was taken into custody at the scene, according to both wire services.
The building at 26 Federal Plaza houses the New York field office of the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices, and an immigration court, the AP reported. The immigration court has been a location where many migrants have been arrested after leaving hearings, the AP said.