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Man Who Sought To Blow Up Springfield, Ill. Courthouse Gets 28 Years

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- A man accused of plotting to blow up a federal courthouse in Springfield has pleaded guilty.

Michael C. Finton was immediately sentenced Monday to serve 28 years in prison.

Finton, who is also known as "Talib Islam," was arrested in September 2009. Authorities said he repeatedly met with an undercover government operative he thought was a member of Al Qaida.

Finton parked a van loaded with fake explosives outside the federal courthouse and then made a cell phone call that he thought would trigger an explosion.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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