Federal authorities arrested a homeless Florida man Wednesday for allegedly plotting to bomb the New York Stock Exchange, after an investigation that began when officials discovered bomb-making materials in his storage unit.
Harun Abdul-Malik Yener faces federal charges of attempting to damage or destroy a building used in interstate commerce by means of an explosive, following a months-long FBI investigation that included recordings of him telling undercover agents, “I feel like Bin Laden.”
The FBI began investigating Yener in February after receiving a tip about bomb-making schematics stored in his Coral Gables, Florida, storage unit. Agents discovered sketches, timers, circuit boards, and other electronic components consistent with explosive device construction.
According to the FBI affidavit, Yener’s motives appeared to span various extremist ideologies. While invoking Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader behind the September 11 attacks, he also described attempts to join right-wing militias and expressed broader anti-government views, declaring “This country is due for a revolution.”
In conversations with multiple undercover employees, Yener allegedly outlined plans to attack the stock exchange, saying he wanted a device powerful enough to “blow off the doors” ensuring that “anything existing in there will be killed.” He told investigators the attack would lead to a “reboot” or “reset” of the U.S. government, stating, “The Stock Exchange, we want to hit that, because it will wake people up.”
Yener has been assigned a federal public defender in the Southern District of Florida. His legal representation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
