Man gets 28 years for Illinois bomb plot

A judge sentenced 31-year-old Michael Finton to 28 years in prison for attempting to bomb the federal courthouse in Springfield, Ill. Finton, who also goes by the name "Talib Islam," pleaded guilty in East St. Louis, Ill., Monday and was sentenced for hatching a plot to set off a bomb at the courthouse in 2009. "Although a coordinated undercover law enforcement investigation thwarted Mr. Finton's plot … this case underscores the need to remain vigilant against the threat posed by homegrown extremism," acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Todd Hinnen said in a written statement. Finton, of Decatur, Ill., was arrested after he allegedly met on numerous occasions with an undercover agent posing as an al-Qaida operative. Prosecutors said it was Finton who proposed parking two vans packed with explosives outside the downtown courthouse and federal building -- one to bring down the building and the second intended to go off when rescue crews arrived. Prosecutors said Finton took physical possession of one truck he believed was loaded with a ton of explosives and parked it outside the building.