Decatur man charged for trying to blow up Springfield federal building

[wndycty]

Decatur man charged for trying to blow up Springfield federal building
Finton also allegedly targeted Rep. Schock's office

A 29-year-old Decatur man arrested on charges of attempted murder of federal employees and attempting to use explosives to detonate a vehicle bomb at the federal building downtown Springfield had his first court appearance this afternoon at that very building.

Michael C. Finton, also known as “Talib Islam,” according to a statement from federal prosecutors, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Byron Cudmore and waived his right to a detention hearing.

Federal officials allege that on Wednesday, Finton drove a van containing what he thought was explosive material and parked it directly in front of the northwest corner of the Paul Findley Federal Building at Sixth and Monroe streets.

He got out of the van, locked the door and got into another vehicle driven by an undercover FBI officer and drove away. Within a few blocks of the federal building, Finton made a cell phone call to remotely detonate the purported bomb,” officials said.
-snip-

http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1128380368/Decatur-man-arrested-for-attempting-to-bomb-Springfield-federal-building

[anigbrowl]

1. Man, how many different flavors of crazy are there

Sometimes I wish we could take all the different extremists and just airlift them to a disused offshore oil platform or something, let them fight it out somewhere else.

[Javaman]

12. Think baskins and robbins. nt

[Mrs. Overall]

2. Lots of anti fed sentiment out there--wonder whose stoking the flames?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. Yeah, but this guy goes by Talib Islam so the media will go ape-shit.

I always wonder how the "coordinated law enforcement efforts" lead all the way up to some nut case actually driving a van full of, what he believes to be explosives, up to a fed building.

I don't suppose the solicitation for explosives would be good enough for the cops. They have to lead some whack job all the way down the path for dramatic effect. I wonder if they rented the truck for him?

[Mrs. Overall]

6. Seriously though, how does a "Michael Finton" became a "Talib Islam"?

Talib Islam sounds like a stupidly made up name.

[JuniperLea]

8. It's weird too...

Because "The Fed" has a bad rap... based on what? The past 8 years? It didn't all suddenly go awry in the past 8 months!

Though some numbskulls are saying it went to hell after the Dems became a majority in Congress... sure, that's it. Jeez.

[Poll_Blind]

3. That is amazingly scary. I am incredibly thankful the FBI has got it together enough to...

...catch these fuckers before they do actual damage.

PB

[BlooInBloo]

4. Holy crap. I just randomly mentioned Decatur in another thread (unrelated).

[Lone_Star_Dem]

7. I wonder if this is his myspace page? The age, name and location match.

http://www.myspace.com/TalibIslam

[Mrs. Overall]

9. Talib Islam's real name is Michael Finton and he's a redhead--

He is not Middle Eastern. I wonder why he called himself "Talib Islam" and then tried to blow up a building?

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. There are Irish Muslims

Islam is a religion and there are members of all nationalities. He may be one or he may be playing at being an Irish-American Muslim convert for all I know.

As to why he goes by a different name it was explained to me by a Muslim friend. If your name goes against Islam then you should change it to one which does not. I don't know if this is a standard belief, but I guess some do follow that dictate.

[wndycty]

13. Yup, he may have been Muslim but he doesn't fit the "profile"

[juno jones]

11. Yeah, blowing up the corner of 6th and monroe

would be such a far-reaching political statement. :eyes:

However, I'm sure glad I don't still work at Jimmy's sub shoppe across the street.


PS: Decatur exists so Sprinfieldians have someone even duller than themselves to look down on. Must be all those ADM chemicals in the air...

[Rincewind]

15. Not ADM,

the Purina plant, that place reeks!

[Posteritatis]

14. One important thing about this one?

What brought the guy in? Military action? The intelligence services? Shoe tests in airports?

Why no, this looks suspiciously like old-fashioned police grunt work to me.

Imagine!