6:04pm UK, Monday September 14, 2009
Four British Muslims who plotted to kill thousands of people using home-made liquid bombs have been sentenced to life in jail.
Life sentence: (L-R) Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain
Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain were found guilty last week of conspiracy to murder on transatlantic planes.
Umar Islam was convicted of conspiracy to murder, although the location was not specified.
At Woolwich Crown Court in south London, Mr Justice Henriques said the aircraft plot was the "most grave and wicked conspiracy ever proven within this jurisdiction".
"The intention was to perpetrate a terrorist atrocity that would stand alongside September 11 in world history," he said.
"I am satisfied that there was every likelihood this would have succeeded, but for intervention of police and security services."
Ali - who was described as the plot ringleader - was sentenced to life in prison, to serve no less than 40 years.
The judge told him it was unlikely he would ever be released.
I have concluded you are a driven and determined extremist with boundless energy and an ambition to lead a terrorist outrage of boundless proportion.Mr Justice Henriques to Abdulla Ahmed Ali
"I have concluded you are a driven and determined extremist with boundless energy and an ambition to lead a terrorist outrage of boundless proportion," he said.
"By this conspiracy you sought the attention of the world, and you now have it."
Sarwar and Hussain were both handed the same sentence, to serve at least 36 and 32 years respectively.
Mr Justice Henriques told Sarwar: "You were a student of jihad and martyrdom, and I have no doubt that your involvement in this conspiracy can be attributed to your extremism."
The three Muslim men planned to detonate the devices in suicide attacks on seven planes headed to major cities in the USA and Canada.
Their arrests in August 2006 caused travel chaos as hundreds of flights were grounded and thousands of people had their trips disrupted.
Bosses changed airport security, bringing in restrictions on carrying liquids on planes that are still in force today.
Umar Islam
The judge noted that emails presented as evidence in the retrial were "a vital source of information as to the control, progress and scope of this conspiracy".
"They establish beyond question the ultimate control of this conspiracy lay in Pakistan."
He added others in Pakistan controlled, monitored and funded the plot.
Each of the trio will be credited with the 1,132 days which they have already served behind bars.
Islam was also sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years.
"Anyone who agrees to join a conspiracy to murder for ideological reasons like you did, must expect to be sentenced to life imprisonment," the judge said.
Three other men were found not guilty of the aircraft plot, while the jury failed to reach verdicts on the charge of conspiracy to murder.
The Director of Public Prosecutions said last week he would seek a retrial on the latter charge.
Ibrahim Savant, 28, of Stoke Newington, north London; Arafat Waheed Khan, 28, Walthamstow; and Waheed Zaman, 25, also of Walthamstow had their cases adjourned until October 5.
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