A person is in custody after setting off an incendiary device outside a federal building in New York City on Monday morning, the FBI said. The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, which took place outside 26 Federal Plaza, according to a statement from the bureau.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media that two people sustained minor injuries in connection with the incident.
The building houses several federal government offices, including the FBI’s New York field office, as well as an immigration court where a number of migrants have reportedly been detained upon leaving their hearings.
Footage and images from the scene captured a fire and a plume of smoke rising from the sidewalk outside the building, along with officers restraining an individual and leading them away.
Authorities described the weapon as a “makeshift incendiary device” made of fireworks and a flammable liquid. A separate video showed law enforcement gathered around a cache of items reportedly found in the man’s possession, including a pellet gun, a knife and a hammer.
The NYPD said it was “looking at the cart the suspect wheeled with him,” which investigators say contained fireworks and airsoft rifles. The cart bore a sign reading “ICE Off Our Streets.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident “deeply disturbing” in a statement. “I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody,” he said. “My team is in touch with the NYPD and we will support the federal investigation. Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city — and hold accountable any who threaten that.”
The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident.
