Suspect carried axes, knives, FBI says
Andrew Arrabaca, 43, served in the regular Army from 2001 to 2004 and in the Army National Guard-New York from 2004 to 2005, according to CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner. He left the service with the rank of specialist and had no deployments, CBS reported.
The Department of Homeland Security referred to Arrabaca as an “anti-ICE rioter,” the BBC reported. Federal agents tackled the suspect at the scene, officials said.
FBI New York Assistant Director James Barnacle said during a news conference that Arrabaca fired about five to seven pellets from an airsoft gun in the direction of the building. He also carried two axes, a machete, three knives, and fireworks, Barnacle said.
Arrabaca allegedly launched fireworks before pouring an accelerant on the stairs of an employee entrance to the building, causing a fire, according to the FBI. The New York City Fire Department put out the blaze, officials said.
Of the three people injured, two were government employees, Barnacle said. A third person was an immigrant who was attending a status hearing, according to officials. DHS said a bystander was grazed, and a security officer who tackled and detained Arrabaca sustained minor injuries.
Barnacle described Arrabaca as an “anti-American, anti-government extremist.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident “deeply disturbing” in a post on X. “Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city — and hold accountable any who threaten that,” Mamdani said.