Fireball at Federal Plaza: Feds release new images in 'anti-ICE' inspired attack
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca allegedly fired a BB rifle toward 26 Federal Plaza before pouring a flammable liquid outside one of the building’s busiest entrances and setting it on fire.
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Newly released screenshots from surveillance video captured the terrifying moments federal prosecutors alleged a Poughkeepsie man turned the entrance to a busy Lower Manhattan federal building into a fireball Monday morning.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca allegedly fired a BB rifle toward 26 Federal Plaza before pouring a flammable liquid outside one of the building’s busiest entrances and setting it on fire. Moments later, prosecutors say he threw a box of fireworks into the flames, triggering an explosion as people stood just feet away.
Arrabaca was arrested at the scene as another explosion erupted. Authorities recovered a utility wagon containing a BB rifle, pellet rifle, machete, two hatchets, a hammer, fireworks and other weapons. A sign attached to the wagon read, “ICE Off Our Streets.”
One civilian suffered a head injury after being struck by debris. During a news conference, FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle said investigators believe Arrabaca intentionally targeted a crowded entrance and was willing to harm anyone in his path.
Federal investigators say Arrabaca, a combat veteran who served in the U.S. military from 2001 to 2005, later admitted he was motivated by anti-government and anti-ICE beliefs. According to prosecutors, he told investigators he specifically chose the entrance because he knew it was heavily used.
Arrabaca is charged with destruction of property owned or leased by the United States by means of fire or explosives causing personal injury or creating a substantial risk of injury. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years.
