FBI says Army vet in custody after explosion outside federal building in Manhattan

A man the FBI said is a former U.S. Army soldier was taken into custody following a Monday morning explosion outside 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.

The building houses a bevy of federal agencies, among them the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Footage on CNN showed a small explosion and smoke near an entrance to the building and showed security officers running outside in pursuit of a suspect.

In a statement, the FBI said "an individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza. The individual has been taken into custody, and the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident."

The man in custody, identified as Andrew Arrabaca, 43, had been interviewed, James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said at a news conference. By late Monday, no charges had been announced against Arrabaca. He repaired Patriot missile systems while in the Army from 2001 to 2005, the authorities said.

His hometown was not immediately available.

Arrabaca "came armed with bad intentions" and was looking to injure people, Barnacle said, alleging the Army veteran had various weapons, including a pellet gun, knives, a hammer and a machete. He fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building, according to Barnacle.

"He is an anti-American, anti-government extremist," Barnacle said.

The FBI statement did not clarify whether the building was damaged.

Fireworks grazed a bystander and a security officer sustained minor injuries after tackling the suspect, according to the Department of Homeland Security. One person was transported by the FDNY to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, according to DHS.

The incident occurred about 8:20 a.m., when a person allegedly launched fireworks outside the building and poured what’s believed to be gasoline on the stairs to an entrance and set it on fire, the DHS said.

In a late-morning post on his official X account, Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote: "What occurred outside 26 Federal Plaza this morning was deeply disturbing. I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody. My team is in touch with the NYPD and we will support the federal investigation."

He added: "Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city — and hold accountable any who threaten that."

With AP

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.