Man suspected of using ‘incendiary device’ arrested outside NYC immigration court

By Chris Wade
The Center Square

A man is in custody after allegedly setting off an “incendiary device” outside a federal immigration court building in New York City Monday morning, authorities said.

The incident happened outside 26 Federal Plaza, a lower Manhattan building that houses dozens of agencies including the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Video from the scene showed heavy smoke in front of the building and a cluster of law enforcement officers taking a suspect into custody. The sidewalk was shut down and the building was evacuated, authorities said. Several people were reportedly injured.

“This morning an individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza in New York,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday morning in a statement posted on X. “The individual is in custody and two minor injuries reported thus far.”

Patel said the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident.

Authorities told several news outlets that the incendiary devices consisted of fireworks and a “flammable liquid” that were set off and sparked a fire outside the building. Several outlets cited reports indicating that the suspect had several BB-style “airsoft” rifles that fire pellets.

Immigration enforcement actions in courthouses have been a flashpoint in pushback to President Donald Trump’s administration enforcing the law. Advocates, court officials and even some judges have been accused of resisting attempts by ICE to apprehend suspects who show up for court hearings.

In New York City, the ICE facility at 26 Federal Plaza has become ground zero in Democrats’ push against what they say is unlawful overreach by federal immigration agents. It’s one of 25 ICE Enforcement and Removal Operation facilities across the country. Democrats and advocates have held protests and press briefings outside the building to criticize ICE enforcement tactics.

In April, a federal judge banned most arrests by ICE agents in several New York City immigration courts, siding with civil liberties groups that sued to stop the practice. Despite U.S. District Court judge Kevin Castel’s ruling, ICE has made at least six arrests in Manhattan immigration courts since he issued his order, city officials said.

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has pledged to target New York City over its sanctuary policies that restrict local cooperation with federal immigration crackdowns and a law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul that expands many of those policies statewide.