Man Arrested After Incendiary Device Detonated Outside 26 Federal Plaza

A man set off an “incendiary device” outside of the 26 Federal Plaza building in Manhattan early Monday morning, triggering an arrest, according to videos taken at the scene and a statement from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Documented.

A gun was recovered from the scene by law enforcement and the man, who had also ignited fireworks and waved a gun at passers-by, was arrested and taken to the hospital for injuries according to reporting by The New York Times. 

Neither the NYPD nor the FBI would confirm the name of the person arrested or any motivation behind the explosion. A statement by FBI Director Kash Patel on X noted two minor injuries in the wake of the blast, but did not specify who was injured.

“This morning an individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza,” said an unnamed spokesperson from the FBI’s national press office, in a statement to Documented. “The individual has been taken into custody, and the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident.” 

The events occurred at a large federal building in Lower Manhattan where many immigrant New Yorkers come to attend immigration court and appointments with the United States Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS). The building has been the site of many infamous and violent arrests of immigrants by federal immigration officers under the second Trump administration.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which administers immigration court at the building, did not immediately return a request for comment on how this may impact immigration proceedings or appointments at the building. 

Video of the incident posted to Instagram by photographer Cristina Panagi showed billowing black and white smoke erupting from the ground adjacent to the Federal Plaza building. It also showed a man being arrested by officers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

Officials wearing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) uniforms ran out of the building with guns as officers effected the arrest. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the event “deeply disturbing.”

“I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody. My team is in touch with the NYPD and we will support the federal investigation,” he wrote on X. “Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city — and hold accountable any who threaten that.”

This is breaking news. Documented is following the story as it develops.