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A former U.S. Army soldier started fire outside a NYC federal building and fired a pellet gun, FBI says
PBS • • general
Key Points:
- A 43-year-old man named Arrabaca was arrested after setting fire outside 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, carrying weapons including pellet guns, knives, a hammer, and a machete.
- Arrabaca fired five to seven pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building and allegedly launched fireworks before pouring gasoline on the stairs and igniting it.
- The suspect was described as an "anti-American, anti-government extremist" and was found with anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) materials.
- The incident caused minor injuries to a bystander and a security officer, with one person hospitalized but not seriously injured.
- The FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the attack while expressing relief that no serious injuries occurred.
