An ex-Army man carried out a fiery attack outside the federal building that houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies in New York on Monday, pouring petrol, setting it alight, firing shots and releasing fireworks, authorities said. Three people were injured and the suspect was arrested at the scene before the blaze could reach the building, the FBI said.
Police identified the attacker as 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca, who was wheeling a cart bearing a poster that read “ICE Off Our Streets.” Arrabaca, who served in the Army working on the Patriot missile system, was taken into custody immediately, the FBI said. “Mr. Arrabaca came armed, with bad intentions,” FBI Assistant Director James Barnacle said. “He did say he was targeting the building and did say he was OK if he hurt people.”
Officials said the fire was extinguished before it spread to the federal offices and that officers subdued Arrabaca before he could use axes, a hammer and a machete recovered at the scene. Authorities also found two air rifles; Barnacle said the suspect had fired some pellets. Those wounded included a man waiting to enter the immigration office for an interview and two police officers who tried to stop the attacker.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a critic of the federal immigration crackdown who has said his city would not cooperate with enforcement actions against undocumented migrants, said the city “will support the federal investigation” and vowed to “hold accountable anyone who threatens the safety of people.” The building, which also contains a short-term detention facility for people arrested on immigration-related charges, has been a focal point for protests.
The attack comes amid heightened tensions after several recent deadly encounters between ICE agents and civilians. On July 7, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, was killed when an ICE agent fired at his vehicle in Houston, Texas, the agency said. On July 13, Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian citizen, was shot dead in Biddeford, Maine, and on July 14 Juan Jairo Coronilla Duran, a Mexican tourist, died after fleeing into traffic following an ICE confrontation in Florida. Officials have accused the two men who were shot of “weaponising” vehicles against agents.
The incidents have provoked protests and sharp political debate. Acting Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Lauren Bis accused Democrats and activists of spreading “dangerous smears and hoaxes” against ICE and urged them “and the media to turn the temperature down and stop calling for violence and resistance against ICE law enforcement.” Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal led a letter, co-signed by 197 House Democrats, demanding “immediate independent investigations into both of these deaths, without interference.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, “The Trump administration rushed 12,000 agents onto our streets without ensuring they were fit to carry a badge and a gun.” Homeland Security temporarily suspended ICE traffic stops last week, but President Trump countermanded that order and defended the tactic on Truth Social: “We must be tough, strong, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP.”
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/international/fiery-attack-outside-new-york-ice-office-leads-to-veterans-arrest-1614538
Category: International
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-07-21 11:19:00
