A former U.S. Army soldier set off fireworks and lit a fire outside a federal building in lower Manhattan on Monday morning before firing a pellet gun at the structure, according to the FBI. The man, identified as 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca, was tackled by a security officer and taken into custody shortly after the incident began around 8:20 a.m. outside 26 Federal Plaza, a building that houses an immigration court and several government offices, including the New York office of the FBI.

James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said Arrabaca was a former mechanic who worked on Patriot missile systems during his time in the military. He described Arrabaca as an anti-American, anti-government extremist who came armed with bad intentions. In addition to an airsoft rifle used to fire five to seven pellets toward the building, Arrabaca was carrying knives, a hammer, and a machete, Barnacle said at a news conference.

The Department of Homeland Security said Arrabaca launched fireworks outside the building and then poured what is believed to be gasoline on the stairs leading to an entrance before setting it ablaze. A bystander was grazed by the fireworks, and the security officer who tackled him sustained minor injuries. The New York Fire Department said one person was transported to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The lower Manhattan building has become a focal point for demonstrations against the immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s administration, and law enforcement said the suspect was carrying anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement material. Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident deeply disturbing and said his team was coordinating with police to support what is now being investigated by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force.