Michael Finton

Michael C. Finton
Born	1980 (age 30–31) Visalia, California
Alias(es)	Talib Islam (طالب إسلام)
Motive	Terrorism
Charge(s)	1) attempt to murder, with malice aforethought, at least one US federal officer and employee; 2) attempt to use a weapon of mass destruction against property owned by the US.
Conviction(s)	pled guilty
Penalty	28 years in prison
Status	In prison
Occupation	Fry cook (Seals Fish & Chicken)

Michael C. Finton, also known as Talib Islam (Arabic: طالب إسلام – Ṭạlib Islām‎; born in 1980 (age 30–31)), a convert to Islam and a part-time cook at a fish and chicken restaurant, attempted to bomb the Paul Findley Federal Building and the adjacent offices of Congressman Aaron Schock in downtown Springfield, Illinois, on September 24, 2009. Pled guilty on May 9, 2011 and was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Finton, of Decatur, Illinois, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Anti-Terrorism Task Force for attempted murder and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction.^[1]

Background

Anwar al-Awlaki

On his MySpace page, Finton listed his hometown as Visalia, California, and wrote he attended high school in Warren, Michigan; on Classmates.com he wrote that he was expelled for fighting with a teacher, and eventually moved to Illinois.^[2]

According to charges against him, on February 3, 1999, Finton indicated to a woman in Olney, Illinois, that he had "a firearm or other dangerous weapon”, took $323 and eight cartons of cigarettes “by the use of force,” and “caused great bodily harm” to the woman “in that he struck (her) in the face and pushed her into a desk.”^[3] Finton was convicted of aggravated assault and aggravated robbery and spent 1999–2005 in prison, during which time he converted to Islam.^[4][5] After prison, Finton sporadically attended Decatur’s only mosque, the Masjid Wali Hasan Islamic Center.^[6]

In March 2008, Finton received $1,375 from a man in Saudi Arabia, and immediately sent the same amount to a travel agency. The following month he flew to Saudi Arabia, where he stayed for a month.

Finton admired Anwar Al-Awlaki (left), a Muslim lecturer, spiritual leader, and former imam, who has been accused of being a senior Al-Qaeda recruiter and motivator linked to various terrorists (including three of the 9/11 hijackers and the Christmas Day Bomber), and quoted Al-Awlaki on his Myspace page.^[7][8]

Planning and attempting attack; arrest

On September 24, 2009, Finton drove a truck filled with what he believed to be "a ton of explosives" to the busy federal courthouse building, parked, locked it, and then left in another vehicle driven by an undercover FBI agent who he thought was an Al-Qaeda operative, and tried to detonate the dummy explosives remotely via cell-phone. He was arrested and placed in federal custody on charges of terrorism and attempting to kill a federal employee.^[9]

Legal proceedings

Finton was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 8, 2009, for attempted murder and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property owned and used by the US.^[10] On May 9, 2011, he pleaded guilty and was immediately sentenced to 28 years in prison. ^[11]

See also

• Nidal Malik Hasan, American Fort Hood shooter; 2009
• Colleen LaRose, American Muslim convert who also used the name JihadJane, charged with trying to recruit Islamic terrorists to wage jihad and murder Swedish artist Lars Vilks.
• Sharif Mobley, American suspected al-Qaeda member, arrested in Yemen in 2010 and suspected of killing guard in escape attempt
• Aafia Siddiqui, female alleged al-Qaeda member, former U.S. resident, convicted in 2010 of attempting to kill U.S. personnel
• Bryant Neal Vinas, American convert to Islam, convicted in 2009 of participating in/supporting Al-Qaeda plots in Afghanistan and the U.S.
• Najibullah Zazi, al-Qaeda member, U.S. resident, pleaded guilty in 2010 of planning suicide bombings on New York City subway system
• Naser Jason Abdo Allegedly attempted to bomb a Fort Hood restaurant in 2011.
• Anwar al-Awlaki American born Islamist cleric.
• Hasan Akbar case American Muslim convert convicted of the double-murder of two US Army officers.
• Homegrown terrorism

References

1. ^ "FBI arrest 29-year-old who changed his name to Talib Islam as he tried to blow up U.S. court," The Daily Mail, September 25, 2009, accessed December 18, 2009
2. ^ Rushton, Bruce, "Man accused in bombing plot known for strong stance on Islam," Peoria Journal Star, September 24, 2009, accessed December 18, 2009
3. ^ Ryden, Kevin. "Ryden, Kevin, "Finton convicted in Olney after taking cash, smokes in armed robbery," ''Olney Daily Mail'', accessed December 18, 2009". Olneydailymail.com. http://www.olneydailymail.com/news/x1789528673/Finton-convicted-in-Olney-after-taking-cash-smokes-in-armed-robbery. Retrieved 2010-03-18. 
4. ^ Pelofsky, Jeremy (September 24, 2009). "Illinois man charged in plot to bomb federal offices". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2447383520090924. Retrieved November 14, 2009. 
5. ^ "2 Men Charged in Alleged U.S. Bomb Plots; Illinois Muslim Convert, Texas Man from Jordan Allegedly Obtained Dummy Bombs from FBI Operatives," CBS News, September 25, 2009, accessed December 18, 2009
6. ^ Johnson, Dirk, "Suspect in Illinois Bomb Plot ‘Didn’t Like America Very Much’," The New York Times, September 27, 2009, December 18, 2009
7. ^ Gruen, Madeleine, "Attempt to Attack the Paul Findley Federal Building in Springfield, Illinois," The NEFA Foundation, December 2009, accessed December 18, 2009
8. ^ Meek, James Gordon, "Fort Hood gunman Nidal Hasan 'is a hero': Imam who preached to 9/11 hijackers in Va. praises attack," New York Daily News, November 9, 2009, accessed November 12, 2009
9. ^ http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1128380368/Decatur-man-arrested-for-attempting-to-bomb-Springfield-federal-building
10. ^ Thomas, Pierre, and Ryan, Jason, "FBI Stings Are Chilling Evidence of Homegrown Terror; Officials Foil Two Plots to Blow Up Buildings in Texas and Illinois," ABC News, September 25, 2009, accessed December 18, 2009
11. ^ http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-09/justice/illinois.bomb.plot_1_federal-courthouse-sting-operation-michael-finton?_s=PM:CRIME "Man sentenced to 28 years for plotting to bomb federal courthouse," CNN News, May 9, 2011

External links

• "Criminal Complaint," in USA v. Finton (September 24, 2009), The NEFA Foundation
• "Indictment," in USA v. Finton (October 7, 2009), The NEFA Foundation

Persondata
Name	Finton, Michael C.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1980
Place of birth	Visalia, California
Date of death
Place of death