POUGHKEEPSIE – The 43-year-old Army veteran detained by the FBI on Monday for lighting a fire in front of 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan has ties to the Hudson Valley. Andrew John Arrabaca is listed as residing in an apartment at 210 Main Street in Poughkeepsie and graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 2008.
The suspect served in the U.S. Army from 2001-2004, reaching the rank of Specialist. He then served in the NY Army National Guard from 2004-2005.
His social media account indicates that he works for Hudson River Community Health, which is now part of Sun River Health, with locations in Dutchess County in Amenia, Dover, Beacon, and the Town of Poughkeepsie, and two in the City of Poughkeepsie.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Arrabaca was arrested after he used fireworks and gasoline to start a fire in front of 26 Federal Plaza at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Monday. FBI New York Assistant Director James Barnacle said Arrabaca was armed with two axes, a machete, three knives, fireworks, and other destructive devices.
Police say a man armed with a collection of weapons used fireworks to start a fire outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Monday morning.
The incident is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism by the New York FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.
DHS describes Arrabaca as an “Anti-ICE rioter” who was tackled by a Federal Protective Services Officer before the flames could reach the building where ICE and the FBI maintain offices. The FPS officer and a civilian were injured, treated, and released, according to officials.
Video showed the suspect pouring gasoline outside the building and then setting it on fire around 8:30 a.m., according to the Department of Homeland Security.
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