Members of the FBI Evidence Response Team and other federal agents investigate the scene where an incendiary device was detonated outside of 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, New York, United States on July 20, 2026.
Kyle Mazza | Anadolu | Getty Images
A man described as an anti-ICE activist was taken into custody after setting off fireworks and wielding two airsoft rifles outside an immigration court building in lower Manhattan on Monday morning, five law enforcement sources told MS NOW.
Two people were injured and treated on the scene, and another person is being checked, the sources told MS NOW.
The fireworks were in a shopping cart, which the man doused with an accelerant and lit on fire, according to those sources.
He also “menaced” nearby pedestrians with the airsoft rifles, which are a form of pellet gun that typically use springs or compressed air to shoot plastic spheres, MS NOW reported.
The FBI told CNBC in a statement that an individual set off “an incendiary device” outside of 26 Federal Plaza, which contains a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office.
The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident, the agency said.
The New York Police Department’s public information office earlier told CNBC that “somebody set off fireworks” outside the immigration building.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in an X post called the incident “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,” Mamdani said.
“Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city — and hold accountable any who threaten that,” the mayor said.
