Authorities in New York City are investigating an explosion on Monday morning outside an FBI building in lower Manhattan that reportedly injured three people. Investigators said a person who allegedly threw an incendiary device at the scene was taken into custody.
Incident at 26 Federal Plaza
The incident occurred at the bureau’s headquarters at 26 Federal Plaza, a building that also houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office, according to Reuters. Video posted on social media showed white smoke billowing from just outside the building, and armed law enforcement personnel emerging quickly from a doorway. A more detailed clip on CNN’s website appears to show the moment the device exploded, and a person on the ground surrounded by police officers or ICE personnel.
Injuries and Device Details
According to the New York news channel PIX11, three people were injured, two requiring hospital treatment. Officials cited by PIX11 said a fire appeared to have been started by fireworks that were “loaded into a wagon bearing a sign that read ‘ICE out of our streets’.”
FBI Statement and Suspect Identification
In a statement, the FBI said: “This morning, an individual deployed an incendiary device outside 26 Federal Plaza. The individual has been taken into custody, and the FBI New York joint terrorism taskforce is investigating the incident.” The FBI did not identify the suspect, but citing four anonymous sources, NBC New York reported the suspect had been identified as 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca. The outlet also reported that the suspect “may have emotional issues” and had previously served in the US army and the national guard.
Political Reaction
The top US House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, who represents a New York district, praised the quick response of authorities. “I am grateful to law enforcement for their swift actions to stop an attack at 26 Federal Plaza this morning, for successfully apprehending the suspect and for keeping the people of New York City safe,” he said in a statement. “Acts of terror and violence have no place in our city and will never be tolerated. The individual responsible for this must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Context of ICE Protests
Protests against ICE and the Trump administration’s hardline approach to immigration have proliferated in recent weeks as the number of deaths at the hands of federal immigration authorities has increased. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero were killed during separate encounters earlier in July with officers attempting to conduct traffic stops in Texas and Maine. On 13 July, Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, a 45-year-old Venezuelan man, became the 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year after he was found unresponsive at a detention center in Georgia.
Trump Administration's Immigration Enforcement
The Trump administration appeared to step back from its policy of hardline immigration enforcement after the shooting deaths of two unarmed US citizens – Alex Pretti and Renee Good – by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. But the homeland security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, denied on Friday that traffic stops by ICE and border patrol agents would be suspended in response to the most recent fatal shootings. He promised that a surge of immigration arrests would continue. “We’re turning up the heat on the streets. We’re out there working harder than we ever have,” he said at a news conference.
