Thursday, September 24, 2009 9:45 PM CDT
Decatur man nabbed in alleged plot to
blow up federal courthouse in Springfield
By KURT ERICKSON, JG/T-C Springfield Bureau
SPRINGFIELD — A 29-year-old Decatur man is in custody in connection with a plot to blow up the federal courthouse in downtown Springfield.
Michael C. Finton, who prosecutors say also went by the alias of “Talib Islam,” is charged with attempted murder of federal employees and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.
Finton’s arrest capped two years of undercover work by the FBI, culminating Wednesday when Finton drove a van containing what he thought were explosives and parked it in front of the federal building.
Prosecutors say Finton got out of the van, locked the door and got into another vehicle driven by an undercover FBI agent. A few blocks from the building he tapped a few numbers into a cell phone thinking it would remotely detonate the explosives.
The explosives were fakes planted by the FBI and he was arrested immediately. There was no danger to the public or those working in the federal building, prosecutors said.
In court Thursday, Finton told U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron Cudmore that he worked at a “fish and chicken” restaurant in Decatur on a part-time basis. He also served time in prison for armed robbery and aggravated battery stemming from an incident more than a decade ago in Richland County.
According to an affidavit filed Thursday with the criminal complaint, Finton drew the attention of investigators in August 2007 when he was arrested on a parole violation.
It was learned he had converted to Islam in prison and had written a letter to John Walker Lindh, an American who was captured fighting for the Taliban.
After his release from prison in 2008, Finton told the FBI in an interview that he idolized Lindh. The affidavit notes that Finton received money from an individual in Saudi Arabia and traveled there in April 2008.
After his return, an agent posing as a low-level al-Qaeda operative met Finton at a hotel in Collinsville to discuss Finton’s desire to receive training to fight in Pakistan, Afghanistan or other locations.
“Finton indicated that he was excited and had no second thoughts about attending a camp,” the U.S. Department of Justice noted in a release issued Thursday.
Eventually Finton began to focus on a domestic target. Along with targeting the Paul Findley Federal Building in downtown Springfield, he suggested the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. As part of the federal building scheme, Finton also hoped to damage the offices of U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, which are located across the street.
The affidavit notes Finton was recorded in July as saying he “hated this country and wanted to see the American government totally fallen.”
“He said he wanted to see Western democracy fail because it does not work,” the affidavit notes.
“This alleged plot drives home the stark reality that we must avoid complacency and remain ever vigilant to the threats that violent extremists may pose to public safety,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey B. Lang.
Karen Spangenberg, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Springfield division, credited the cooperation of a number of law enforcement agencies with helping “neutralize potential threats before they come to fruition.”
“This case is a prime example of our commitment to protect Americans from terrorist attacks, through prevention,” Spangenberg said.
If convicted, Finton faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He made his initial appearance Thursday in the same federal court building he had hoped to destroy a day earlier. The case could go to a grand jury within 30 days.
The maximum penalty for attempted murder of federal officers and detonation of a weapon of mass destruction is life in prison.
Records indicate that, in addition to Decatur, Finton had lived in Olney in southeastern Illinois and Mount Vernon, about 70 miles southeast of St. Louis.
Finton maintained a page on MySpace dedicated to a variety of Islamic and Middle Eastern themes. In a handful of blog entries, he wrote about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and criticized Israel. He also posted long entries about Islam and the Middle East.
Finton’s attorney, federal defender Bob Scherschlight, said his office does not comment on pending criminal matters.
Contact Kurt Erickson at kurt.erickson@lee.net or 789-0865.
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Peter_Venkman wrote on Sep 24, 2009 8:20 PM: