A former U.S. soldier, Andrew Arrabaca, was indicted by a grand jury in New York on charges related to an arson attack on the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, which houses an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office. The indictment states that Arrabaca used a flammable liquid to ignite a fire, threw a firework into the fire, and lit additional fireworks at the building. The incident occurred in late July and resulted in injuries to at least one person and posed a substantial risk to federal employees and emergency responders.
Arrabaca, 43, who previously served as a mechanic on Patriot missile systems, was charged with arson or explosion causing damage to U.S. government property, which carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison. He has not yet entered a plea, and an arraignment date has not been scheduled.
U.S. Attorney Samantha Fry indicated that Arrabaca was aware that his actions could have endangered others and was willing to accept the consequences of his attack. FBI officials reported that Arrabaca arrived at the building armed with various weapons, including a pellet gun and knives, and fired pellets from an airsoft rifle toward the building. FBI Assistant Director James C. Barnacle Jr. noted that Arrabaca's actions appeared to be motivated by anti-government and anti-ICE beliefs, and praised the response of law enforcement in preventing further violence.