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Bomb Suspect Described Search for Religion
DECATUR, Ill. (AP) -- The man accused of plotting to blow up a central Illinois courthouse says he studied many religions in prison before turning to Islam.

Michael Finton wrote on an Internet site that he was familiar with the Catholic church, Seventh-Day Adventists and other Christian denominations from his childhood.

Finton's January 2007 essay said he became a "Bible-thumper" for a while but that it didn't satisfy him. Finton wrote that he felt adrift.

Eventually, Finton became a Muslim and sometimes used the name Talib Islam. He attended a mosque in Decatur.

The 29-year-old was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried to set off a car bomb outside the federal courthouse in Springfield.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
09 25 09 by Newsroom
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