On Wednesday, 30-year-old Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, a Florida man, was arrested on charges of planning an attack at the New York Stock Exchange, inside which he allegedly intended to detonate a bomb. According to the FBI, Yener wanted to “reboot” the U.S. government by detonating the device that was supposed to kill everyone in the building.
The man, a Coral Springs native, was also charged with attempted use of an explosive to damage or destroy a building used in interstate commerce. The FBI began investigating Yener in February, based on a tip that the latter kept “bomb-making schematics” in a warehouse.
Agents also allegedly found some recordings in which the man claimed, “I feel like Bin Laden.” The feds found sketches regarding bomb-making blueprints, many timer clocks, circuit boards, and other components that can be used to build explosive devices.
Over the past 7 years, Yener had also searched online for items related to bomb-making. The 30-year-old had recently confessed to undercover agents that he wanted to detonate the device a week before Thanksgiving. His target was the Manhattan Stock Exchange, a well-known and always heavily populated location.
The man likened his explosive to a “small atomic bomb,” capable of being remotely activated and killing everyone present. Over the past month, Yener had been wiring two-way radios so that they could act as triggers, and he planned to disguise himself to enter the Big Apple building and plant the explosives.
According to court documents, Yener also had a YouTube channel, on which he uploaded videos about making explosives and fireworks. Last year, he had been fired from a restaurant in Coconut Creek, Florida, after his former supervisor caught him saying he wanted to “go Parkland shooter in this place.”
In the past, Yener also tried to join the two far-right groups “Boogaloo Bois” and “Proud Boys”: however, he was denied membership because he said he wanted to “pursue martyrdom.”
