Veterinarian Andrew Arrabaca has been charged with a fire at a government building in New York City
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A US military veteran accused of setting fire outside a New York City government building that houses the immigration court and other federal agencies, including the FBI, and firing a gun, will face arson charges related to Monday’s incident.
Andrew Arrabaca, 43, appeared in Manhattan federal court Tuesday on his charges outside 26 Federal Plaza. He did not apply.
Arrabaca, who worked as a mechanic on Patriot missile systems for the Army, had anti-ICE and anti-government views, James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said Monday.
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Authorities arrested a man outside a government building in New York City. (FNTV)
“He’s anti-American, anti-government,” Barnacle told reporters at the scene.
Voter records show he registered as a Democrat and was a member of the left-wing Working Families group.
Arrabaca “came armed with bad intentions” and was found with a number of weapons, including a pellet gun, knives, a hammer and a machete. Authorities said a New York resident arrived at the federal building around 8:30 a.m. and set off a large firecracker before dousing the fire with liquid.
Videos and photos from the scene showed a fire with billowing smoke and bright orange flames near the building’s entrance, as well as police restraining the suspect.
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In addition to the alleged arson, Arrabaca also fired five to seven pellets with an air rifle at the building, Barnacle said. He was arrested by government officials a short time later and has been in custody.
He made several statements against the government and ICE during the incident and said he was “okay with hurting or killing people coming in and out of the building, whether they were federal employees or civilians,” the FBI said.
When he was arrested, the authorities say they found Arrabaca in possession of two axes, a hammer, a machete and three knives.
Federal prosecutors say he had been planning the attack since January, when he began buying paraphernalia and traveling to locations near New York. Defense attorneys said Arrabaca has mental health issues, and asked that he be placed in a Department of Military Affairs mental health hospital for evaluation and treatment.
The federal building in Lower Manhattan has been the scene of protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency charged with enforcing the country’s immigration laws amid the Trump administration’s war on illegal immigration.
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One of the two people injured during Monday’s incident was an immigrant who appeared in the building for a hearing, the FBI said.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
