Authorities on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, arrested Michael C. Finton, 29, of Decatur for his role in an alleged plot to blow up the federal courthouse in Springfield, Ill. Undercover agents were in on the plot and arranged for Finton to park a van containing fake explosives in front of the courthouse on Wednesday, Sept. 23, before arresting him. Below is a timeline of the case derived from the federal complaint against Finton.
Created by sjrmultimedia on Sep 24, 2009
Last updated: 03/12/10 at 02:13 AM
Finton calls the agent after he arrives in Springfield. The two meet. The agent drives Finton to the van, which was actually filled with fake explosives. Finton drove the van to the courthouse parked it in a 'no parking' zone on the northwest corner of the building. Finton got out of the van and got into the agent's car, which drove away. The agent gave Finton a cell phone and a number to call. Finton believed the call would set off the bomb. He tried the call twice and was then arrested by agent.
The agent calls Finton and lets him know the attack will take place tomorrow.
The agent and Finton meet again in Springfield to discuss details of the attack. Finton mentions he at first thought all these meetings were a setup but later realized law enforcement wasn't that smart. They review the plan: Finton parks the bomb-filled vehicle in front of the building, arms the bombs, gets out of the vehicle and uses a cell phone to remotely set off the bomb. After the meeting Finton is stopped for speeding by a county deputy. He is ticketed for driving with a suspended license and his vehicle is towed. Finton calls the first source for a ride home to Decatur.
Finton meets with the first source and says he wasn't happy with how the video came out. The source helps Finton shoot the video again.
The agent and Finton meet again at the Springfield hotel to discuss the attack. The agent says his "leaders" love the idea and will provide a vehicle and bomb to be parked at the federal building. At the agent's request, Finton records a video politically justifying the attack.
Finton and agent meet again in Springfield. Finton proposes the idea of bombing the federal building in downtown Springfield. He suggests parking a vehicle in front of the building and using two bombs -- the first for initial damage and the second to hurt emergency workers. Finton and the agent are seen on video walking past the federal building. During they walk they see U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock's office near the courthouse and identify it as a secondary target.
Finton and the agent meet again at a Springfield hotel and talked about what Finton wanted to target in Springfield. He suggested the FBI building or a police station.
Finton and the agent meet at a Springfield hotel to talk about Finton's involvement. The agent says he works for al Qaeda. Finton said he wanted military training. He didn't want to become a suicide bomber but would fight on the front lines in Pakistan or Afghanistan and would have no problem targeting military or political people. The agent said he'd start asking Finton to do small tasks.
Finton and the first source meet again to talk about Finton's meeting with the undercover agent.
(Approximate date) After exchanging e-mails and phone calls for a few weeks, Finton and the undercover agent meet at a Collinsville hotel.
Finton sends his first e-mail to the source's contact in prison, who is actually an undercover FBI officer.
Beginning Jan. 8, the source, under direction from authorities, tells Finton he knows a person in prison who could help him get to Gaza. The source and Finton talk about the plans for the next three weeks. Finton ultimately decided to pursue the plan, saying he wanted to create a "historical event."
Finton tells the source he is planning to contact someone in Egypt to figure out how to get to Gaza. At this point, authorities decide to give him an "opportunity for action" with the help of the source.
The source and Finton talk on Dec. 29-30 about Finton being upset over Israel's attacks on Hamas. Finton says he wishes he could get military training, travel to Gaza and fight for the Palestinians.
The source and Finton meet again and talk about the recent convictions in the Fort Dix terrorism case.
The source and Finton meet again. Finton expresses excitement about the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. He praises the terrorists' efforts.
A confidential source working with authorities meets with Finton. They talk about how they both converted to Islam while in prison.
Finton returns to the United States from Saudi Arabia.
Travel records should Finton leaves for Saudi Arabia.
Bank records show transfer of $1,375 from someone in Saudi Arabia to Finton, who in turn paid the money to a travel agent.
Finton is released from prison. He questioned about the writings. He says he idolized Lindh.
Finton is arrested for violating his parole. He moved to Decatur without telling the proper authorities. Police find several writings, including a letter to "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh.
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