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Florida man Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, 30, was arrested on Nov. 20 for allegedly planning to plant a bomb in New York City before Thanksgiving. Authorities charged Yener for attempting to use an explosive device to destroy an interstate commerce building.
The FBI started investigating Harun Abdul-Malik Yener in February after “receiving a tip” about him “storing bomb-making schematics in an unlocked storage unit,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida. The release also revealed that police uncovered bomb-making sketches and materials, such as electronic circuit boards and watches with timers, in Yener’s storage unit. Additionally, authorities found several bomb-making searches on his Google account, dating back to 2017, as reported by PEOPLE.
In June, Yener met with undercover FBI agents, whom he thought was part of an “anti-government militia.” During their conversation, Yener allegedly expressed his desire to join the militia and build an explosive device. He later revealed that he aimed to strike a business in New York City the week before Thanksgiving, hoping his actions would serve as a “reboot” and “reset” of the United States government. Charging documents obtained by the Associated Press show that Harun Abdul-Malik Yener planned to target the New York City Stock Exchange.
“The Stock Exchange, we want to hit that, because it will wake people up,” Yener allegedly told the undercover agents.
CBS reports that Yener told the undercover agents that he would go to New York to set everything up. He allegedly planned to disguise himself and share a recorded message with the press about his reasons for the attack. Yener also reportedly mentioned to an undercover agent that the bombing would be “like a small nuke going off.” He also supposedly said that anything outside of the building would be demolished and anything inside would be killed.
Harun Abdul-Malik Yener appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, Nov. 20, and will stay detained until his trial.
Court documents also reveal his history of making threats. AP reports that Yener was also known to post YouTube videos showing how to make explosives and fireworks from household items.
Per CBS News, Yener told undercover agents that he considered joining ISIS in 20215 but changed his mind, believing the group would fail to meet its goal.
