Former soldier charged with arson in Manhattan ICE facility firebombing
A former U.S. army soldier, Andrew Arrabaca, was charged with arson related to the detonation of an incendiary device near 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, targeting an ICE field office. Arrabaca, 43, appeared in federal court where prosecutors stated he had plotted the attack for months. During the incident, he caused a small fire after dumping liquid and igniting fireworks, and fired pellets from a gun. He declared himself an “anti-American, anti-government extremist” during his arrest. Arrabaca was found with military gear,axes,knives,a hammer,and a sign protesting ICE,suggesting possible suicidal intent. The court rejected his request for mental health evaluation at a Veterans facility, instead ordering evaluation at a federal detention centre. Prosecutors emphasized the potential for greater harm, citing his mental health history and the planning involved.The judge expressed concerns about Arrabaca’s mental state,but noted he had previously declined psychiatric help. Arrabaca faces a minimum of seven years in prison for arson or explosion causing damage to government property.
A former U.S. soldier was charged with arson in connection with the detonation of an incendiary device the day prior near 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, which is home to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office.
Andrew Arrabaca, a 43-year-old Army veteran, appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, where prosecutors alleged he had plotted the attack for months.
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Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Fry said Arrabaca understood his actions could have harmed others and that he was willing to accept his own death in carrying out the attack.
The FBI said on Monday that Arrabaca was arrested after he dumped an unknown liquid on the ground and then lit fireworks on top of it, causing a small fire. After igniting the liquid, Arrabaca fired between five and seven rounds from a pellet gun. During the incident and his subsequent arrest, Arrabaca said he was an “anti-American, anti-government extremist.”
Arrabaca was charged with arson or explosion causing damage to U.S. government property, which carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison. He was not required to enter a plea during his court appearance.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky rejected Arrabaca’s lawyer’s request that his client be sent to a locked ward at a Veterans Health Administration facility for a mental health evaluation, instead ordering the suspect be evaluated at a federal lockup in Brooklyn.
“This is an individual who, notwithstanding what he appears to have done, has served our country and is quite clearly ill,” Tarnofsky said.
Arrabaca’s lawyers argued he was suicidal, pointing to the military-style helmet he wore during the attack. He also had two axes, three fixed-blade knives, a hammer, a machete, and a wagon affixed with a sign that said “ICE Off Our Streets” with him during his arrest.
Fry, however, pushed for jail over hospitalization or releasing Arrabaca, noting that while only a few individuals sustained minor injuries, “this attack could have ended much more tragically” at a building where hundreds of federal employees work, parents leave children at a daycare, and residents use a post office inside. Prosecutors also pointed to Arrabaca previously being prescribed mental health medication in 2020 but said he stopped taking it about a year later.
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Tarnofsky said she considered psychiatric care but had concerns that Arrabaca wouldn’t comply because he had been offered such services before and did not accept them.
“The crime you’re charged with is troubling,” she said to Arrabaca. “The nature and circumstances, the fact that it was planned over time and carried out at a time when it could cause significant harm.”
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