A former servicemember in the U.S. Army and National Guard was taken into custody after allegedly setting off fireworks and lighting a fire in front of a federal office building in lower Manhattan that houses an immigration court and other government offices, an FBI official said. The suspect, id entified as 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca, was in custody and being interviewed by law enforcement following the incident outside of 26 Federal Plaza on Foley Square just before 8:30 a.m. that left four people injured, according to officials. “He poured gasoline onto the ground and ignited it with a lighter and an incendiary device. That device was a firework, a large firework in a cannister,” James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said at a press conference. Barnacle said Arrabaca “came armed with bad intentions.” On video, the suspect could be seen splashing a liquid and setting it on fire and then trying to flee. He was quickly tackled by security. Investigators said Arrabaca’s apparent motive for the attack was plastered on the cart he used to transport the explosive material, as it read “ICE off our streets.” Arrabaca was also armed with two axes, three knives, a hammer, a machete and airsoft rifles, the FBI said. According to Barnacle, the suspect “fired 5-7 pellets, if you will, in the direction of 26 Federal Plaza.” Two government employees and a civilian, who had an immigration court hearing at the building, were injured. The Department of Homeland Security, which runs the Federal Protective Service and ICE, said a bystander was grazed by the fireworks. A security officer who tackled Arrabaca also sustained minor injuries, the agency said. The FDNY said one person was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. Arrabaca, from Poughkeepsie, drove to Harlem and then went to Tribeca overnight. His car was found parked near West 124th Street and Broadway, and police said it would be subject to a search. The NYPD bomb squad and the FBI also examined the cart Arrabaca used to make sure there were no additional threats. “What occurred outside 26 Federal Plaza this morning was deeply disturbing,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on social media. “I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody.” Mamdani said his team was in touch with police and will support the federal investigation. The FBI said its New York Joint Terrorism Task Force was investigating. Worth Street remained shut down for hours Monday as investigators took photos and collected evidence. The building, 26 Federal Plaza, is home to ICE and FBI offices as well as other federal offices. It is also where immigration courts are located where agents have carried out some chaotic and sometimes violent arrests in the hallway as migrants leave hearings. The surrounding area has been the site of past anti-Trump and anti-ICE demonstrations. In one instance, protesters were arrested trying to storm the entrances. Others incidents have seen politicians and activists arrested as they protested ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants who were showing up for immigration or asylum-related hearings. A U.S. official told NBC News Arrabaca had previously served in the Army and National Guard. He has no known previous criminal history, though the FBI called him “an anti-American, anti-government extremist.” This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less