ABC News98%
FBI: Former soldier set off incendiary outside New York City federal building 96%
7/20/2026, 11:59:29 PM
BS Summary: This video contains 18 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Emotion, Availability Heuristic, and Framing Effect, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 51.2% saturation with 192 hits. Analysis detected 1,018 faulty-reasoning hits from 375 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 93.1% and a BS Rank of 96% (896 of 18,897 videos). This video is worse (more manipulative) than 95.30% of the video peer group.
We begin tonight here with the breaking news.
The alarming scene at the federal building here in New York City.
Authorities tonight accusing a former US soldier of setting fire outside the federal building in lower Manhattan.
Dramatic video tonight showing the suspect pouring gasoline on the steps to the building and igniting it, creating a huge wall of flames at 26 Federal Plaza.
ICE, the FBI, and other federal agencies, all with offices inside.
The suspect taken down moments later, wrestled to the ground there.
The FBI tonight calling it an anti-government attack.
And tonight, what authorities say he was also armed with.
Our chief investigative correspondent, Aaron Kurski, leading us off from the scene tonight.
>> This is the moment a former US soldier tries to set fire to the federal building in New York.
>> Guys, [gasps] oh my god.
>> Flames and smoke crawling up the facade in lower Manhattan this morning as immigration hearings were set to begin.
The FBI calling it an anti-government attack.
Watch as the suspect, identified as 43-year-old Andrew Arabaka, splashes gasoline onto an outdoor stairwell, ignites it with fireworks, and runs off.
>> Oh my god.
>> Mr. Arabaka came armed with bad attention.
He had two axes, a hammer, a machete, and three knives, fixed blade knives, six uh incendiary devices or fireworks, and he had some other destructive items.
Arabaka immediately grabbed by federal police, wrestled to the ground, and taken into custody.
The FBI says they located anti-ICE literature along with two pellet guns from which the suspect fired several shots.
>> He is an anti-American, anti-government extremist.
He did say he was targeting the building and he was okay if he hurt or killed people going in and out of the building, whether they were federal employees or civilians.
26 Federal Plaza houses immigration court where masked ICE agents have been making arrests.
It has been a focal point of protests over the president's immigration crackdown.
Three people were hurt here today, David, including an immigrant awaiting a naturalization hearing.
The suspect is expected to face federal charges.
>> Aaron Kurski leading us off here tonight.
Aaron, thank you.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.