British bombmaker jailed for minimum of 38 years

A judge has paid tribute to a 'deeply compassionate' American soldier killed by a landmine planted by British bombmaker Anis Sardar.

Sardar, 38, of Llanover Road, Wembley, London, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 35 years in court today after being found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.

One of the IEDs he helped build exploded beneath a US armoured vehicle, killing Sgt First Class Randy Johnson, of 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, who was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals.

Sitting at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Mr Justice Globe told Sardar that commanding officer Major Eric Adams had described Sgt Johnson as showing "deep compassion" in leading his platoon.

A British bombmaker who fashioned "professionally-made" IEDs which amounted to landmines in Iraq had viewed American soldiers as the "the enemy", a judge has said.

Sitting at London's Woolwich Crown Court, Mr Justice Globe rejected Anis Sardar's claim that he had only been involved once in making bombs to try to protect the Sunni Muslim community from Shia militants.

One of the bombs killed American soldier Sgt Randy Johnson.

Sardar, of Wembley, London, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 38 years for murder, and life with a minimum 25 years for conspiracy to murder, to run concurrently.

A British bombmaker who helped build an IED which killed a US soldier in Iraq has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 38 years.

Anis Abid Sardar, 38, of Llanover Road, Wembley, London , was found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder at London's Woolwich Crown Court yesterday.

The court heard he, along with an accomplice, built a number of explosives as party of a deadly campaign to kill American troops fighting in the county in 2007.

One of the bombs exploded directly beneath an armoured vehicle, killing 34-year-old Sergeant First Class Randy Johnson, of 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.

Sardar was finally caught seven years later, after a delicate forensic examination by the FBI's Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Centre discovered his fingerprints on some of the bombs.

His partner has not been found.

A London taxi driver is due to be sentenced today after becoming the first person convicted in a British court for murder during the Iraq War following a "landmark prosecution".

"Highly dangerous" Anis Abid Sardar, 38, built improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as part of a "deadly" campaign to kill Americans fighting in the country in 2007.

In what is believed to be a legal first, he was convicted yesterday at London's Woolwich Crown Court of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

One of the IEDs caused the death of 34-year-old Sergeant First Class Randy Johnson, of 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, when it hit the armoured vehicle he was travelling in on September 27, 2007.

A London taxi driver has become the first person to be convicted, in a British court, of murder during the Iraq War.

The fingerprints of bomb maker Anis Sardar were found on roadside devices - intended to blow up American soldiers. One US Army sergeant was killed by such a device in 2007.

From Sardar's home in Wembley, ITV News Correspondent Juliet Bremner reports.

"Highly dangerous" black cab driver Anis Abid Sardar, 38, from Wembley in north-west London, built improvised explosive devices as part of a "deadly" campaign to kill Americans fighting in the Middle Eastern country in 2007, a court has found.

In what is believed to be a legal first, he was convicted today at London's Woolwich Crown Court of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

One of the lethal contraptions caused the death of 34 year-old Sergeant First Class Randy Johnson, of 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment when it hit the armoured vehicle he was travelling in on September 27 2007.

Sardar was snared some seven years later after officials at the FBI's Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Centre found his fingerprints on some of the bombs.

A British minicab driver has been found guilty of making roadside bombs, one of which killed a US soldier in Iraq.

Anis Abid Sardar, 38, was convicted of the murder of Sergeant first class Randy Johnson in September 2007.

Sergeant Randy died instantly when a device exploded under his armoured vehicle.

Three further bombs which had been planted on the same stretch were recovered and safely detonated.

Sardar, of Wembley, north west London, will be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court tomorrow.