IL Man Charged With Attempted Arson Of Abortion Clinic: Feds

DANVILLE, IL — A 73-year-old Illinois man faces attempted federal arson charges after police said he had his car backed into an abortion clinic with several containers filled with gasoline in the vehicle, federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

Philip J. Buyno of Prophetstown appeared in federal court on Tuesday on the charges after he was arrested on Saturday, the U.S. Attorney for Central Illinois said. Danville Police arrested Buyno after officials said police found him stuck in his car after he backed into the entrance of the reproductive health clinic in the 600 block of North Logan Avenue, federal officials said.

If convicted of attempted arson, Buyno faces a minimum penalty of five years up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release, according to a news release.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, “The extreme rhetoric of the far right has grown increasingly incendiary, and it’s perpetuating violence. In Illinois, we will not let their attempts to sow fear dissuade us from preserving reproductive rights.”

Pritzker said that the state will remain an oasis for women seeking to exercise their reproductive rights. He said state officials will work to protect reproductive health rights and the facilities that the governor said provide “these critical services.”

Earlier this year, a Peoria man set fire to a Planned Parenthood Clinic in Peoria after he said he had been recently reminded of his ex-girlfriend's abortion, according to the FBI. Fire investigators determined the fire was likely caused by arson, and detectives obtained surveillance video showing the suspect vehicle — a white pickup truck with a red door.

Security footage from the night of the fire shows a man in a coat with a hood walk up to the building carrying a large bottle, officials said.