Why FBI Calls Hudson Valley Veteran An Anti-Government Extremist

More information was released after an Army and National Guard veteran from the Hudson Valley was arrested outside a federal building in Manhattan.

We were also given photos from the scene.

From Poughkeepsie, New York

The FBI detained 43-year-old Andrew Arrabaca on Monday.

Arrabaca is originally from Poughkeepsie. More recently, he's been living on the streets of Manhattan and in Harlem, officials say.

He's accused of using fireworks and gasoline to start a fire outside a controversial immigration detention center in Lower Manhattan, located at 26 Federal Plaza.

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He was allegedly armed with two axes, a machete, three knives, and other fireworks, along with a sign calling to get "ICE off our streets."

The FBI called him an "anti-American, anti-government extremist."

Attack Planned In Advance

Officials say that Arrabaca has been planning his attack for months. He allegedly admitted to buying his gear and weapons as early as January, traveling to upstate New York and Pennsylvania to acquire supplies.

Court documents also say that he scouted several other potential government locations across New York before narrowing in on 26 Federal Plaza.

At least three people were injured.

"The defendant caused a scene of destruction and mayhem by setting a fire at the entrance to a federal building in lower Manhattan which houses thousands of federal employees and receives hundreds of visitors daily," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton told Hudson Valley Post.

SUNY New Paltz Graduate

Arrabaca is a 2008 SUNY New Paltz graduate, according to his LinkedIn profile. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology.

He served in the US Army from 2001 to 2004 and the National Guard from 2004 to 2005.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he's worked for the Hudson River Community Health for the past 16 years with the title Preservation Company Program Assistant.

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