Ill. man charged in bomb plot will undergo tests

[November 12, 2009]  SPRINGFIELD (AP) -- A judge has ordered psychological testing for a central Illinois man charged with plotting to blow up a federal courthouse.

The tests will likely delay the Dec. 7 trial of 29-year-old Michael Finton. Such tests typically take a month or more.

U.S. District Judge David Herndon agreed Tuesday that Finton's mental competency should be tested.

Finton is charged with attempting to blow up the Paul Findley Federal Building in Springfield with a van he believed was loaded with explosives. It was supplied by an undercover FBI agent.

Finton has pleaded not guilty. He faces life in prison if convicted.

An FBI affidavit calls Finton a low-level al-Qaida operative who converted to Islam while in prison.

[Associated Press]

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