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US Army veteran arrested after FBI building 'attacked' during ICE protest

A former US Army soldier, Andrew Arrabaca, was arrested in New York after allegedly setting off fireworks, lighting a fire, and firing an airsoft rifle outside a federal building that houses FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices. Three people were injured, and authorities described the suspect as making anti-government and anti-American statements.

By Tertius News AI Desk 3 outlets · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 20–21, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

A former US Army soldier was arrested in New York on Monday after allegedly setting off fireworks, lighting a fire, and firing a pellet gun outside a federal office building, according to multiple news reports.

Three people were injured in the incident, which occurred at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, a building that houses offices of the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The suspect, identified as Andrew Arrabaca, 43, was subdued by law enforcement and taken into custody.

The FBI said in a statement that an individual "deployed an incendiary device" outside the building and was taken into custody. The bureau's New York joint terrorism task force is investigating the incident.

Coverage comparison

ABC Australia reported that Arrabaca arrived at the building around 8:30 AM with "bad intentions," according to investigators. The outlet quoted New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch saying Arrabaca was wearing a military-style helmet and hauling a cart with a sign that read "ICE Off Our Streets."

BBC World reported that federal agents tackled the suspect, whom the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called an "anti-ICE rioter," and that he was armed with a machete and other weapons. The BBC also reported that Arrabaca served in the regular Army from 2001 to 2004 and in the Army National Guard-New York from 2004 to 2005, without any deployments, leaving with the rank of specialist.

The Guardian reported the incident as an "explosion" outside an FBI building, citing officials who said a person allegedly threw an incendiary device. Reports noted that the building at 26 Federal Plaza also houses an ICE field office.

Framing varied slightly: Australia's broadcaster centered on the suspect's actions and anti-government statements, while the BBC focused on the arrest and the suspect's alleged statements, and The Guardian emphasized the explosion and the ongoing investigation.

Key claims

A US Army veteran, Andrew Arrabaca, was arrested after setting off fireworks and lighting a fire outside a federal building in New York.
Three people were injured, including an immigrant attending a status hearing and two government employees, according to the FBI.
Arrabaca was subdued by law enforcement after being tackled by a security officer, and was taken into custody.
According to investigators, Arrabaca made "anti-government and anti-American statements" as he was being arrested.
He also fired "five to seven pellets" from an airsoft gun in the direction of the building, according to the FBI's James Barnacle. Not an automatic rifle was used.

Details from authorities

The FBI also noted that the "individual has been taken into custody" and that the investigation is being handled by the New York field office.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident "deeply disturbing" in a post on X.

Hakeem Jeffries, the top US House Democrat, thanked law enforcement for their response, saying "Acts of terror and violence have no place in our city and will never be tolerated."

Perspectives

law enforcement

FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle described the incident as an "attack" and said the suspect "was looking to injure people and harm people." The FBI's New York Field Office and DHS have called Arrabaca an "anti-ICE rioter" and an "anti-anti-American, anti-government extremist."

Political response

New York City Mayor Zohran Man and Representative Jeffries expressed concern. Jeffries said the equivalent is "acts of terror and violence" and that the perpetrator should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

Other context

Protests against ICE and the Trump administration's immigration policies have been ongoing in lower Manhattan, with the building being a flashpoint, according to The Guardian and BBC.

How each outlet told it

ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC

Framing: Attack on federal office building — Neutral

Facts Included:

A former US Army soldier was arrested in New York after allegedly setting off fireworks and lighting a fire outside a federal office building
Three people were injured in the incident
The suspect, Andrew Arrabaca, was subdued by law enforcement
Arrabaca was wearing a military-style helmet and hauling a cart with a sign that read 'ICE Off Our Streets'
He appeared to pour petrol from a bucket on the ground outside the employee entrance and set it on fire
Arrabaca fired multiple pellets from an airsoft rifle and had two axes, three fixed-blade knives, a hammer, and a machete
He made 'anti-government and anti-American statements' as he was being arrested

Read the source article →

BBC — World as of Jul 21, 2026, 8:15 AM UTC

Framing: Arrest after fire at federal building — Neutral

Facts Included:

A former US Army soldier was arrested after igniting a fire in front of a federal building in New York City
The suspect, Andrew Arrabaca, allegedly shot a pellet gun and set off fireworks
Three people sustained minor injuries in the incident
Arrabaca was armed with a machete and other weapons
He made 'anti-government and anti-ICE statements' during the incident

Read the source article →

The Guardian — World as of Jul 20, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC

Framing: Explosion outside FBI building — Neutral

Facts Included:

An explosion occurred outside an FBI building in lower Manhattan
Three people were injured in the incident
A person who allegedly threw an incendiary device was taken into custody
The incident occurred at 26 Federal Plaza, which houses an ICE field office
Protests against ICE and the Trump administration's immigration policies have been ongoing

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimA former US Army soldier was arrested in New York after allegedly setting off fireworks and lighting a fire outside a federal office building.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThree people were injured in the incident.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe suspect, Andrew Arrabaca, was subdued by law enforcement.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimArrabaca was wearing a military-style helmet and hauling a cart with a sign that read 'ICE Off Our Streets'.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimHe appeared to pour petrol from a bucket on the ground outside the employee entrance and set it on fire.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC
ClaimArrabaca fired multiple pellets from an airsoft rifle and had two axes, three fixed-blade knives, a hammer, and a machete.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimHe made 'anti-government and anti-American statements' as he was being arrested.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from ABC Australia as of Jul 21, 2026, 5:15 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe incident occurred at 26 Federal Plaza, which houses an ICE field office.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from The Guardian — World as of Jul 20, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimProtests against ICE and the Trump administration's immigration policies have been ongoing.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from The Guardian — World as of Jul 20, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim

Transparency & Audit Trail

3 outlets · 3 articles consulted: ABC Australia, BBC — World, The Guardian — World 9 claims extracted 1 editorial revision Version 1 Written 2026-08-14