British cab driver Anis Abid Sardar jailed for life for murdering US soldier with IED bomb in Iraq

A British taxi driver has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of murdering a US soldier in Iraq with home-made explosives.

Anis Abid Sardar, 38, from Wembley in north-west London, will serve a minimum of 38 years for murdering US sergeant Randy Johnson with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq in 2007.

He was also given a second life sentence with a minimum 25 years to run concurrently after being found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

The "highly dangerous" cab driver is believed to be the first person in the UK to be convicted for taking part in the Iraqi insurgency following the "landmark prosecution".

Sardar was arrested seven years after Sgt First Class Randy Johnson, of 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, was killed when the armoured vehicle in which he was patrolling an area of Baghdad drove over pressure plates rigged up to one of Sardar's IEDs.

Johnson died in the explosion and four other soldiers were left seriously injured.

Police were able to arrest the 38-year-old after the FBI's Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Centre (TEDAC) found his fingerprints on other bombs he had made, which were almost identical to the one that killed the US soldier.

Upon sentencing, Judge Justice Globe said he rejected Sardar's claim that he only made one bomb to protect the Sunni community from Shia militias and instead was involved in a "campaign" against the US.

He 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."

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. He knew precisely what he was doing and was working with murderous intent against coalition forces."

Cmdr Richard Walton, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "I hope that today's verdict will bring some comfort to the family of Sergeant Johnson, who tragically lost his life in the service of his country.

"This verdict demonstrates our resolve to convict anyone committing terrorism anywhere in the world, even if it takes us many years.

"I hope that it further stands as a deterrent to those thinking today that they can undertake terrorist activity overseas without fear of the law. Over time circumstances change, and when and where we have evidence we will seek to bring them before a court."