Man Accused of Plotting New York Stock Exchange Bombing

Court documents indicate that a man from Florida has been apprehended and accused of devising a scheme to detonate an explosive device at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Harun Abdul-Malik Yener faces accusations of trying to employ an explosive to harm or demolish a structure involved in interstate commerce, as stated by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The FBI reports that he purportedly videotaped himself uttering, “I feel like [Osama] Bin Laden,” referencing the former al-Qaeda chief behind the 9/11 assaults in the US. Federal authorities initiated an investigation into him in February, following a tip-off that he stored materials for bomb construction within an unsecured storage unit. Agents conducted a search of the Coral Springs facility and, according to court documents, reported finding “bombmaking sketches, numerous watches with timers, electronic circuit boards and other electronics”. A federal public defender from the Southern District of Florida, appointed to represent Mr. Yener, did not promptly reply to an inquiry for comment. Within the documents, investigators stated that Mr. Yener purportedly informed an undercover agent last week of his intention to execute the assault during the week preceding the Thanksgiving holiday, scheduled for November 28. “That would be a great hit,” Mr. Yener reportedly told an agent, adding that the assault in lower Manhattan would be “hella easy.” He is also alleged to have performed multiple internet searches on bomb construction and informed agents of his plan to don a disguise during the assault and issue a recorded statement to the media. Investigators indicated that Mr. Yener’s purported “motivation for bombing the NYSE was to attain a ‘reboot’ and/or ‘reset’ of the United States government.” Mr. Yener reportedly conveyed to undercover agents that the blast would be “like a small nuke went off” and that “[a]nything outside” the structure “will be wiped out” and “anything inside there would be killed.” He purportedly operated a YouTube channel featuring videos demonstrating how to create explosives from common household products. According to court documents, Mr. Yener, who resides in southern Florida, is homeless. He made his initial court appearance on Wednesday and will remain in custody pending his trial, as reported by the Associated Press news agency. This apprehension marks the most recent in a series of incidents over the past several months concerning US national security. In October, an individual from Afghanistan was taken into custody for allegedly planning an assault to coincide with election day, which occurred earlier this month. Furthermore, in August, a Pakistani national was arrested for purportedly conspiring to assassinate US officials on behalf of Iran. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.