Yesterday, the FBI foiled plots to bomb Federal Building in Springfield, our Illinois State capital; as well as that of the office of our youngest Congressman Aaron Schock.

By BERNARD SCHOENBURG
THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER
Posted Sep 24, 2009 @ 01:41 PM
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A 29-year-old Decatur man arrested on charges of attempted murder of a federal employees and attempting to use explosives to detonate a vehicle bomb at the federal building downtown Springfield had his first court appearance this afternoon at that very building.

Michael C. Finton, also known as “Talib Islam,” according to a statement from federal prosecutors, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron Cudmore and waived his right to a detention hearing. He remains in custody.

Federal officials allege that on Wednesday, Finton drove a van containing what he thought was explosive material and parked it directly in front of the northwest corner of the Paul Findley Federal Building. He got out of the van, locked the door and got into another vehicle driven by an undercover FBI officer and drove away. Within a few blocks of the federal building, Finton made a cell phone call to remotely detonate the purported bomb,” officials said.

He was arrested immediately after he attempted to detonate the device.

Cudmore named Bob Scherschlight, an assistant federal defender, as Finton’s lawyer.

Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey B. Lang of the central division of Illinois and Karen E. Spangenberg, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Springfield division, said in a statement that undercover FBI agents and confidential sources monitored Finton’s his activities up until his arrest.

According to a federal affidavit, Finton considered the Findley building a primary target, and consided the downtown Springfield office of U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, to be a secondary target. That office is across the intersection of Sixth and Monroe streets from the federal building.

If convicted, Finton faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

“The criminal complaint alleges that Michael Finton … attempted to bomb a federal courthouse, but fortunately a coordinated undercover law enforcement effort was able to thwart his efforts and ensure no one was harmed,” David Kris, assistant attorney general for national security, said in the statement.

Finton, who is more than 6 feet tall and wore blue jeans and blue-and-white button-down shirt, was in handcuffs and had a chain connecting to his ankles during his brief court appearance today.

The government was represented at the hearing by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Risley. The investigation was conducted by the Springfield FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and assisting law enforcement agencies.

An affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint said that when Finton was arrested in August 2007 on a parole violation, his parole officer found several of Finton’s writings, including a letter he had written to John Walker Lindh, an American who was captured fighting for the Taliban and imprisoned on terrorism violations. . . . . .

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1128380368/Decatur-man-arrested-for-attempting-to-bomb-Springfield-federal-building