Man Charged in Ill. Courthouse Bomb Plot
Ibrahim Afellay from the Netherlands lies on the pitch in pain during the Euro 2012 soccer championship Group B match between the Netherlands and Denmark in Kharkiv , Ukraine, Saturday, June 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) / Manu Fernandez
A 29-year-old man who idolized American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh has been arrested after attempting to detonate what he thought was a bomb inside a van outside a federal courthouse in the Illinois capital of Springfield, officials said Thursday.
Michael C. Finton, also known as Talib Islam, was arrested Wednesday and charged in a criminal complaint with one count of attempting to murder federal officers or employees and trying to detonate a weapon of mass destruction. Federal officials said the case has no connections with the major terrorism investigation under way in Colorado and New York.
"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 the public safety," Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey B. Lang said.
Back in 2001, Finton posted an Internet message declaring himself "an American Muslim...seeking to renounce my citizenship," writing he was "aware of the fact that the U.S.A. will soon be killing Muslims in America," reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian.
"Ultimately, the government was right to pursue this individual to some degree, but it's a question of whether or not they facilitated this a bit too much," said CBS News Homeland Security expert Paul Kurtz.
Finton appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron G. Cudmore in Springfield and said he was an unmarried, part-time cook at a fish and chicken restaurant in the central Illinois city of Decatur. He was ordered held in jail pending action by a grand jury.
A message was left at the office of Finton's defense attorney, Robert Scherschlight, a federal defender.
An FBI affidavit said that in the months leading up to the arrest, Finton had been closely monitored by agents including a special officer who posed as a low-level operative of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network.
It said Finton was arrested after using a cell phone in an attempt to detonate a van filled with material that he had been told was explosive but was actually harmless. It was not immediately clear what the material was.
The affidavit traced two years of activities by Finton leading up to the alleged bomb plot and arrest. It said Finton's parole on a previous conviction was revoked in August 2007 and writings found afterward included a letter to Lindh, who was captured fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Finton told agents in January 2008 he idolized Lindh, the affidavit said. It was not immediately known what his previous conviction was.
The affidavit said that in March 2008 Finton received funds from Saudi Arabia and used them to travel to the kingdom for a monthlong visit. No other details were immediately available.
Finton was introduced to the FBI special officer posing as an al Qaeda operative in February, according to the affidavit.
Finton expressed a desire to receive military training and fight in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia or elsewhere, agents said. In the months that followed, he talked about an attack within the United States and ultimately settled on the Paul Findley courthouse.
He also said the nearby office of Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock could be a "secondary target," the affidavit said.
In a statement Thursday, Schock said that "my office was notified today of the attempted terrorist attack on both the federal building and my congressional office in Springfield."
"I am incredibly grateful to the FBI for their fine work in preventing this terrorist attack," the statement said. Press secretary Dave Natonski said police had asked Schock not to say anything more about the matter.
The maximum penalty for attempted murder of federal officers and detonation of a weapon of mass destruction is life in prison.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Michael C. Finton, also known as Talib Islam, was arrested Wednesday and charged in a criminal complaint with one count of attempting to murder federal officers or employees and trying to detonate a weapon of mass destruction. Federal officials said the case has no connections with the major terrorism investigation under way in Colorado and New York.
"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 the public safety," Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey B. Lang said.
Back in 2001, Finton posted an Internet message declaring himself "an American Muslim...seeking to renounce my citizenship," writing he was "aware of the fact that the U.S.A. will soon be killing Muslims in America," reports CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian.
"Ultimately, the government was right to pursue this individual to some degree, but it's a question of whether or not they facilitated this a bit too much," said CBS News Homeland Security expert Paul Kurtz.
Finton appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron G. Cudmore in Springfield and said he was an unmarried, part-time cook at a fish and chicken restaurant in the central Illinois city of Decatur. He was ordered held in jail pending action by a grand jury.
A message was left at the office of Finton's defense attorney, Robert Scherschlight, a federal defender.
An FBI affidavit said that in the months leading up to the arrest, Finton had been closely monitored by agents including a special officer who posed as a low-level operative of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network.
It said Finton was arrested after using a cell phone in an attempt to detonate a van filled with material that he had been told was explosive but was actually harmless. It was not immediately clear what the material was.
The affidavit traced two years of activities by Finton leading up to the alleged bomb plot and arrest. It said Finton's parole on a previous conviction was revoked in August 2007 and writings found afterward included a letter to Lindh, who was captured fighting for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Finton told agents in January 2008 he idolized Lindh, the affidavit said. It was not immediately known what his previous conviction was.
The affidavit said that in March 2008 Finton received funds from Saudi Arabia and used them to travel to the kingdom for a monthlong visit. No other details were immediately available.
Finton was introduced to the FBI special officer posing as an al Qaeda operative in February, according to the affidavit.
Finton expressed a desire to receive military training and fight in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia or elsewhere, agents said. In the months that followed, he talked about an attack within the United States and ultimately settled on the Paul Findley courthouse.
He also said the nearby office of Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock could be a "secondary target," the affidavit said.
In a statement Thursday, Schock said that "my office was notified today of the attempted terrorist attack on both the federal building and my congressional office in Springfield."
"I am incredibly grateful to the FBI for their fine work in preventing this terrorist attack," the statement said. Press secretary Dave Natonski said police had asked Schock not to say anything more about the matter.
The maximum penalty for attempted murder of federal officers and detonation of a weapon of mass destruction is life in prison.
Popular on CBSNews.com
- Reporter Michael Hastings dies at 33
- Google asks FISA court to lift gag order on NSA requests
- Taliban: We killed 4 U.S. troops at Afghan air base
- Scientists say shipwreck timber in Lake Michigan centuries old
- Tornado briefly touches down on Denver airport runways
- Girl who lost feet in lawnmower gets prosthetics
- FAA approval sought for 650-foot-tall Vegas thrill ride
- Report: U.S. teacher training an "industry of mediocrity"
At one time there was something called entrapment, and entrapment defense, if you managed to get someone to do something that he would not ordinarily do, then it was entrapment.
I would have to believe, that if you provide a person, with the tools and knowledge to commit a crime, and he does commit it then you have gotten him to commit a crime that he would not ordinarily do, and this is entrapment.
If you take a "shut in junky" out on the town get him drunk and badger him into selling or transferring drugs to you a "Narc" and the junky has never transfered drugs before then you have entrapped him, particular when you realize that a shut in never goes out on the town.
Americans have thrown away the constitution in order to persecute the harmless drug user, who would otherwise stay home and get high behind closed doors.
This type of case cast doubt on the other case that may be a good case from the constitutional perspective.
(But remember deception there was no cause for war in Iraq, and this war sucked lots of money out of the U.S. The angry mob that stopped the recount, the ballot boxes in the dumpster, it is all about getting people to accept the cashless society and the implanted microchip.)
(For the Microchip is the only way to end the financial crisis, there is simply no alternative, and the microchip is the only way that you can be protected from terrorism. ) The news media will soon tell you this.
I mean, it's like reading about someone accused of something in Iran, China, or Russia.
Since defendants no longer have the right to Habeas Corpus, discovery, or basic humane treatment or human rights, we can't know if they, or the government, is guilty.
ST
"The victims of 9/11 did not die so America could forsake its heritage and humanity."
SearingTruth
A Future of the Brave
But to this low-life that wanted to blow up people, throw away the key.
Muslim radical,jewish radical or christian radical they are all from the same ilk. When someone thinks their God wants them to kill others because they believe differently than they do it seems so insane to me. I reject all religious belief as childish and unscientific. Religion breads violence and many other forms of mental illness.
---
Not an over achiever by any means.
As always, anarchy appeals to failures.....