Suspect in Custody After Incendiary Device Set Off Outside NYC Federal Building Housing ICE, FBI

What happened

A person set off an incendiary device outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan around 8:30 a.m. Monday, according to the FBI. The building houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigration courts, the FBI's New York field office, and the Social Security Administration.

"This morning an individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza. The individual has been taken into custody and the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident," the FBI said in a statement given to Fox News.

The suspect is in custody. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, which handles suspected terrorism cases, is now running the investigation. No charges have been announced and no one has said the word "terrorism" officially yet.

The details are still messy, and that's normal

Accounts of what actually happened vary by outlet. Forbes, citing ABC7, reported the device consisted of fireworks and a "flammable liquid." PIX11 and CBS News, per Forbes, reported fireworks in a garbage can were set off and sparked a fire. NBC New York described the suspect as having "wheeled a cart" and "ignited a fire."

Injuries are similarly unclear. PIX11 reported three people were injured, citing unnamed officials. NBC New York reported just one person was sent to the hospital with minor injuries. Fox News and WHMI, both working from the same FBI statement, said it was "not clear whether there were any injuries" at all.

The New York Police Department told Fox News there was a "found firearm" connected to the incident, but couldn't confirm whether it was recovered from the suspect himself. NBC New York separately reported the suspect had multiple BB-style "airsoft" rifles that fire pellets, not a live firearm. KIRO 7 reported smoke billowed from the ground as personnel raced from the building. The building went into shelter-in-place, according to WABC.

Video circulating on social media, cited by ZeroHedge, showed federal agents including ICE personnel rushing out with guns drawn before Federal Protective Service officers apprehended the suspect. A bystander who said they watched from a nearby apartment described seeing "what looked like a shotgun" and people running for cover, though that account has not been independently verified.

Who is the suspect, and why does it matter

Details on the suspect remain largely unconfirmed. NBC New York and ABC7 both described the person as a potential anti-ICE protester, according to Forbes. No name, age, or formal charges had been released as of Monday late morning.

The incident comes just days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of rising far-left political violence across the West. ICE facilities have faced repeated protests and confrontations amid the administration's immigration enforcement push.

At the same time, there's no confirmed motive, no confirmed charges, and no verified account of the suspect's identity or affiliations. Right now this is one person, one device, and an active JTTF investigation, nothing more is proven.

What's unresolved

The FBI and New York City Fire Department had not responded to requests for comment as of Monday morning, according to Forbes. NYPD referred all questions back to the FBI. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE also had not responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The core unresolved questions: how many people were actually hurt, what exactly was in that garbage can or cart, whether the found firearm belonged to the suspect, and what, if anything, investigators find about motive once they identify him publicly. Until the FBI or Department of Justice releases charging documents, everything beyond "a device went off and someone was arrested" is still provisional.