An incendiary device exploded outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan shortly prior to 9:00 a.m. EDT July 20, 2026, and a suspect identified by authorities as Andrew Arrabaca was taken into custody, the FBI said.
The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, and 26 Federal Plaza houses dozens of agencies including the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
At a press conference, FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director James Barnacle said Arrabaca was at the building’s employee entrance shortly prior to 9:00 a.m. EDT.
Authorities identified the suspect as Andrew Arrabaca, 43, a U.S. Army veteran from Poughkeepsie.
Barnacle and other officials said Arrabaca was carrying two airsoft guns and a small cart bearing a sign that read "ICE off our streets," and that investigators found two axes, a machete, three knives, fireworks and other destructive devices in his possession.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said a bag recovered from the man contained a manifesto, and law enforcement has seized his car and is seeking a search warrant for it.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the suspect ignited a bundle of fireworks, then dumped flammable liquid outside the building and set it on fire, and that he fired several pellets into the air before dousing parts of the building; federal agents tackled the man on the scene and the fire department quickly extinguished the blaze.
Video from the scene showed heavy smoke outside the building, and Barnacle said, "Mr. Arrabaca came armed with bad intentions. Looking to injure people and harm people."
Barnacle said three people were hurt in the incident, two of them government employees.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said one person was grazed by the fireworks, and a security officer sustained minor injuries after tackling the suspect.
Police warned people to expect traffic delays, mass transit disruptions and road closures near Worth Street and Lafayette Street and urged people to avoid the area.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident "deeply disturbing" and said his team was in touch with the NYPD and would support the federal investigation. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries praised the quick response of authorities and said the individual responsible "must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."