Man arrested at Rockefeller Center with gasoline can, matches and book

A man carrying a can of gasoline and matches near Rockefeller Center Monday afternoon has been arrested, NYPD said.

A witness saw Yuriy Alterman, 38, at Sixth Avenue and West 46th Street carrying the gas can and The New York Times bestseller, “Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices” and flagged down a police officer.

When officers first approached Alterman, he was belligerent and yelled, “F—k the NYPD” and “F—k you,” an NYPD source said.

The man told police that he doesn’t have a car, but he bought gas from the gas station and decided to take a walk. He did not intend to light anything on fire, he told police.

Alterman was taken into custody at Rockefeller Center and is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday night.

Alterman faces terroristic threats charges. Metro was unable to reach anyone at the Office of the New York County District Attorney who could explain how the charges were decided, but according to a source in the NYPD,Alterman told police, “sometimes you guys do things that makes others do things to retaliate even though that’s not the person we are.

“Have you seen the news today?”