A man suspected of placing a hoax bomb that evacuated a mall in Queens, New York, on Monday morning is a right-wing conspiracy theorist who was arrested and accused of arson last week and has been under investigation by police for at least a week.
Law enforcement officials said they are looking for the man, Louis Shenker, 22, after New York City firefighters discovered a stolen car with wire, cans and electrical wiring in the form of a hoax bomb device on top of the car's trunk. No explosives were found in the vehicle — a Tesla with Nevada plates parked on a spiral ramp between parking garage levels at the Queens Place mall — but police rescued a husky dog from inside it.
Law enforcement officials say that police were already investigating Shenker and that they have arrested him twice in connection with other disruptive stunts. On Wednesday, he was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and two counts of low-level arson, accused of burning a poster affixed to a New York Police Department barricade, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office. Authorities said Shenker repeatedly engaged in a variety of similar stunts, including anti-mask actions, which he documented on Instagram.
Shenker has repeatedly tweeted at
Nick Fuentes, a prominent figure in the far-right Groyper movement, which seeks to turn the racist and homophobic trolling culture of the extremist forum 4chan into real life action. His Twitter account has been suspended.Shenker appeared on an InfoWars online conspiracy webcast last month, when he pushed false conspiracy theories about the election, the coronavirus and a plot to take over the world. He implored "100,000 people at minimum to come to New York City" to protest a litany of causes outside Mayor Bill de Blasio's residence, including the false conspiracy theory that "Donald John Trump is the rightful winner of this election."
He also falsely pushed internet rumors about coronavirus vaccines, including an elaborate plot featuring the Chinese government, Bill Gates, George Soros, the Clintons and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
A review of an Instagram account, confirmed to belong to Shenker by three senior law enforcement officials briefed about the investigation, shows Shenker burning a photo of George Floyd with a caption that refers profanely to Floyd and insults the Black Lives Matter movement.