Muslim convert held in US for plot to blow up building
September 25th, 2009 - 10:08 am ICT by IANS ( Leave a comment )
Chicago, Sep 25 (IANS) An American convert to Islam was Thursday charged with a plot to blow up the court building in Springfield in Illinois state and trigger mass murder.
Michael Finton, who converted to Islam in jail some time ago to become Talib Islam, was arrested Wednesday after an undercover operation which began in 2007. He has been charged with plotting to blow up the Paul Findley Federal Building in Springfield and murder government employees.
According to documents filed in the court, Finton’s plot was unearthed after he was arrested for a parole violation in 2007.
After his arrest, when police searched his vehicle, they found letters mentioning martyrdom and his links with John Walker Lindh, the ‘American Taliban’ who was captured in Afghanistan by US forces in 2001.
Immediately after this, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) set up a task force to tail Finton who worked in a restaurant. Court documents say the FBI first used a drug informant to become friendly with Finton who revealed that that he wants to get arms training and fight against Israelis in Gaza.
Then the FBI used another undercover agent to pose as an Al-Qaeda operative to ‘help’ Finton in his plot.
Finton told the undercover agent in July that he was planning attacks on government buildings, banks and police stations to force the US to withdraw from Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.He told the undercover agent that he planned to use a backpack bomb or explosive-laden vehicle to blow up the federal building in Springfield.
A month later in August, the agent tricked Finton by telling him that his terror plan has been okayed by al-Qaeda bosses and he should prepare a videotaped message to be shown Osama bin Laden and others.
Finton, who made statements acknowledging he knew everyone in the Paul Findley Federal Building would be killed, allegedly met up with the agent on Wednesday, believing he would be carrying out a mass-casualty bomb attack against the building.
Finally, Finton met with the undercover agent Wednesday to carry out the plot. The agent helped Finton load a dummy bomb into a van. The man drove it and parked it near the court building.
As he was making a cell phone call that was supposedly to set off the blast, Finton arrested the FBI.
- Muslim convert arrested for plotting to blow up US courthouse (Lead) - Sep 25, 2009
- US man held over Pentagon bomb plot - Sep 29, 2011
- Headley worked with FBI for capture of Mumbai mastermind - Jun 01, 2011
- 21-year-old US man arrested in undercover 'bomb plot' sting operation - Dec 09, 2010
- No attempt made to entrap potential Oregon Islamic bomber: FBI - Nov 30, 2010
- New York police arrest 'al-Qaeda sympathizer' who plotted bombing campaign - Nov 21, 2011
- Al Qaeda chief wants '9/11' of his own - Sep 10, 2011
- Canadian terror plot ringleader pleads guilty - Oct 09, 2009
- New York jihadist faces life term - Jul 08, 2011
- UK intelligence helped foil NY subway plot five days before due date - Dec 15, 2010
- Al-Qaeda affiliates will still pose threats: US experts - May 02, 2011
- Saudi 'jihadist' arrested for trying to blow up George Bush's house, other US targets - Feb 25, 2011
- Al-Qaeda calls for terror attack on crowded Washington restaurant at lunch hour - Oct 12, 2010
- Two terror suspects arrested in New York - May 13, 2011
- US Justice Department puts Pak-origin terror suspect on its wanted list - Dec 16, 2010
Tags: afghanistan iraq, american taliban, bomb attack, drug informant, federal bureau of investigation, finton, government buildings, government employees, investigation fbi, john walker lindh, martyrdom, mass casualty, mass murder, parole violation, paul findley, police stations, qaeda operative, talib, undercover agent, undercover operation
