FBI identifies Army veteran in New York federal building blast

The FBI identified a 43-year-old Army veteran as the man accused of setting off fireworks and starting a fire outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, a federal building that houses an immigration court, other government offices and a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office. The explosion and fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. Monday, sending black smoke into the street outside one of the city’s busiest federal complexes.

Investigators identified the suspect as Andrew Arrabaca, a former U.S. Army soldier who worked as a mechanic on Patriot missile systems. He was in custody and had been interviewed by FBI officials as the case moved to the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force.

James Barnacle, the FBI assistant director in charge of the New York Field Office, said Arrabaca set off fireworks and started the fire in front of the building. Authorities are treating the incident as a possible act of terrorism, and investigators are also examining whether anti-ICE activity and anti-ICE sentiment played a role.

Video and photos from the scene showed black smoke and flames outside the building as officers surrounded a person on the ground. NBC New York put the count at two minor injuries, and CBS New York put it at four people hurt.

A March 2026 inquiry near Gracie Mansion was also handled as a terrorism matter. Federal investigators are now trying to determine how Arrabaca accessed the site and why he targeted a building tied to immigration enforcement.