Federal authorities have arrested Harun Abdul-Malik Yener, a South Florida resident, for allegedly planning to detonate a massive improvised explosive device (IED) outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
According to court documents reviewed by The Gateway PunditYener’s motives were rooted in the desire to “reboot” the United States government.
Yener, 30, reportedly spent months creating detailed plans to build and detonate the device in one of the world’s most critical financial centers.
The alleged target date is the week before Thanksgiving 2024, a time of heavy market activity.
An FBI affidavit states Yener believed the attack would “wake people up” and destabilize the US government.
Investigators said Yener has a history of extremist behavior, including previous threats of violence and documented attempts to join a militia group.
The affidavit states that Yener, born in the US in 1994, began planning the plan in 2017, gathering bomb-making materials and researching high-impact targets. That motivation? A radical vision to trigger a “reboot” of the US government.
Yener, who previously sought affiliation with extremist groups, built the IED with help believed to be from the militia, although the “militia members” were, in fact, an undercover FBI agent.
The investigation began when a tip led authorities to an unlocked Yener storage unit in Coral Springs, Florida, which contained bomb schematics and other alarming materials.
Surveillance and covert operations confirmed their intention to target the NYSE, the symbol of American financial power.
He also listed a manifesto intended for public release, warning the US government to stop arms sales and impose mass deportations.
According to court documents:
In February 2024, the FBI began investigating YENER, a South Florida resident who was born in the United States in 1994, after receiving a tip that YENER was storing bomb-making schematics in an unlocked storage unit in Coral Springs, Florida.
After obtaining YENER’s consent to search and a subsequent search warrant, FBI special agents found bomb-making sketches, numerous watches with timers, electronic circuit boards, and other electronics in YENER’s storage unit that could be used to build explosive devices.
From the search results on YENER’s Google account, the agents found repeated internet searches on aspects of the bombing since early 2017.
During an interview on March 1, 2024, YENER told law enforcement that he had experience building “rockets” and “bombs,” and that he had previously tried to join domestic extremist groups.
In June 2024, YENER informed a confidential FBI source (“CS”) of his desire to join an anti-government militia and make an improvised explosive device.
After meeting with undercover FBI employees, who YENER believed to be part of the militia, YENER identified the New York Stock Exchange as the location to deploy and detonate the improvised explosive device and the target date for carrying out the bombing was the week of November 18. , 2024.
The stated motivation for bombing the NYSE was to achieve a “reboot” and/or “reset” of the United States government. In October and November 2024, in a secure location controlled by law enforcement believed to be controlled by the militia, YENER wired two-way radios so they could be used as remote triggers for explosive devices.
YENER assigned undercover FBI employees to retrieve explosive elements for the device, conduct surveillance of the NYSE, and take photos of buildings to identify the exact location to detonate the device.
YENER planned to go undercover while planting an explosive device outside the NYSE and recording a message to be sent to the press about the reason for the attack.
YENER expects the impact of the explosion to be “like a small nuke going off” and that “(a)nything outside” the building “will be blown away” and “anything inside will be killed.”
In the recorded conversation, he said, “There is a very simple place … the stock exchange, which will be a big hit. Tons of people will support it. They will see and think man, this guy is making sense, he (profanity) is robbing us .so perfect.”
Investigators are detailing plans to disguise themselves as FedEx delivery drivers to avoid detection.
According to the FBI, Yener’s ambitions extend beyond the NYSE; he reportedly discussed targeting other public locations such as stadiums, schools, and power grids.
“YENER discusses a hypothetical individual wearing a suicide vest at Walmart on Black Friday, in a crowded football stadium during a football game, or in a school auditorium during a children’s Christmas play. YESNER tells CS that the above-mentioned targets will would be a good target because everything would be filled with a dense crowd, which would ensure maximum casualties,” court documents said.
“YENER discussed how bombing the power plant will disrupt the local government and the community. YESNER discussed that if anyone is interested in creating causality, they can target Walmart instead of the powerplant. YESNER told CS that if anyone wants to reduce civilian causalities, they can target Walmart at the moment at night when the shops are less crowded.
Yener faces charges under federal terrorism laws, including attempting to use an explosive device to destroy property used in interstate commerce. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Read the court documents below:
