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Briton Who Made IEDs To Kill US Troops Jailed

Briton Who Made IEDs To Kill US Troops Jailed

A British bomb-maker found guilty of building improvised explosive devices to kill US soldiers in Iraq has been jailed for life.

Anis Abid Sardar was sentenced to a minimum term of 38 years for his role in a "deadly" bombing campaign which led to one US soldier being murdered.

The devices were planted in or around the road leading west out of Baghdad - and one killed Sergeant First Class Randy Johnson when it hit the armoured vehicle he was travelling in on 27 September 2007.

Sardar, a black cab driver from Wembley in northwest London, was caught seven years later when officials at the FBI's Explosive Device Analytical Centre (TEDAC) found his fingerprints on some of the bombs.

The 38-year-old had told jurors he became involved in the insurgency to protect his fellow Sunni Muslims from Shia militias - but Mr Justice Globe rejected this defence.

The judge said: "I am satisfied so as to be sure that your actions were not solely focused on Shia militias. Your focus was either wholly or partly American.

"I am satisfied that at the material time of the offences you had a mindset that made Americans every bit the enemy as Shia militias. Both were in your contemplation at all times."

A short message from Sgt Johnson's widow, Claudia, was read out in court by prosecutor Max Hill QC.

It read: "Thank you so much, it's a big relief to know that justice has been served. However, it does not change much for us. Randy will be greatly missed."

Sardar remained calm as the jury at Woolwich Crown Court found him guilty by a majority of 11-1 on the murder charge.

Following the verdict on Thursday, Sue Hemming, head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Anis Sardar is a highly dangerous man who created bombs so large that not only did they tragically kill Sgt Randy Johnson, but they put other lives in danger and caused significant damage to heavily armoured US military vehicles.

"Although Anis Sardar's fingerprints were found only on two of the bombs, it is beyond doubt that he was part of a joint enterprise to make four such devices, and potentially many others, given their similarity and location."

Sardar had claimed the target was not American soldiers, and blamed instead "the likes of Dick Cheney, George Bush and Tony Blair" for their deaths.

The bomb-maker had conspired with Sajjad Adnan, who is not a British citizen. Although he was arrested after the bombings and handed over to Iraqi authorities, his whereabouts are not known.