Anti-ICE Army Vet Who Set Federal Plaza Fire Charged With Arson

The anti-ICE Army veteran who set off an incendiary device and shot an air rifle outside 26 Federal Plaza on the morning of July 20 was charged with arson and could face up to 40 years in prison.

A person identified by police as Andrew Arrabaca, 43, was said to have ignited an inferno outside the lower Manhattan federal building, which houses an immigration court and a local ICE field office, around 8:30 a.m.

At Arrabaca’s initial hearing, his lawyer, Jennifer Brown from the Federal Defenders of New York, said that Arrabaca was diagnosed with mental illness in 2020 and had stopped taking his medication.

The defense argued that Arrabaca, who was a missile systems mechanic for the Army from 2001 to 2005, should be released to be evaluated and treated at a Veterans Affairs facility.

While Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky agreed he should be evaluated, she ordered Arrabaca to remain in detention without bail, citing how he had not previously specifically sought out Veterans Affairs facilities for treatment.

“This is someone who served our country and who is quite clearly ill,” Tarnofsky said.

Prosecutors said that Arrabaca had been planning the attack for several months and that he had bought the materials used in upstate New York and Pennsylvania.

Prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Fry said Arrabaca was aware of the risk his attack posed to the public. “This attack could have ended much more tragically,” she said.

On the morning of the attack, Arrabaca initially lit a bundle of fireworks outside the building, according to NYPD. Video then shows him emptying an accelerant from a red plastic container onto a staircase in front of the building and setting it on fire.

After turning to run away from the inferno, which erupted instantly, Arrabaca returned to and threw an object into the blaze. As he was tackled by several officers shortly after, the fire let off a small explosion.

Arrabaca had two air rifles, two axes, three knives, a hammer, and a machete with him during the attack. He had also taken out one of the air rifles and shot several pellets during the incident.

Two of the officers sustained minor injuries in the effort to detain Arrabaca, according to James Barnacle, the assistant director of the F.B.I.’s New York office. An immigrant attending a status hearing at the building also suffered minor injuries after being grazed by fireworks.

In a statement, Barnacle said, “Mr. Arrabaca came armed with bad intentions” and that Arrabaca told federal officials that he was OK if people got hurt, “whether they were federal employees or civilians.”

During his initial hearing on the evening of July 21, defense argued that his intention was to damage property, not people.

Barnacle called Arrabaca “an anti-American, anti-government extremist,” and said he was specifically targeting the building. In an interview with investigators, Arrabaca made anti-ICE statements and revealed his plan involved hurting more people.

Arrabaca towed his weapons in a black wheeled cart that had a red protest sign saying “ICE OFF OUR STREETS” in the front. Inside the cart, officials also recovered a manifesto.

The noise from the fireworks and gunshots reportedly startled those inside and in surrounding buildings. Around 8:30 a.m., the NYPD received a call reporting what was thought to be an active shooter in the building.

Arrabaca is originally from Poughkeepsie. However, authorities said his last known address was in Harlem, where he got on the train on the night of July 19. Arrabaca took it to Penn Station before traveling down near the Holland Tunnel, where he slept on the street for the night. Early the next morning, he headed to 26 Federal Plaza.

A Black Toyota RAV4 belonging to Arrabaca was found near West 124th Street and Broadway. NYPD previously said they are seeking a warrant to search it.

Arrabaca’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 4. If he is convicted, he faces a minimum of seven years and a maximum of 40 years in prison.