A British man described in court as an al-Qaida operative has been sentenced to life imprisonment for planning a series of bombings in Britain and the United States. Dhiren Barot planned to blow up the New York Stock Exchange, the World Bank and several famous London hotels, according to investigators.
The planned attacks included using "dirty bomb" attacks on trains, and hijacking fuel tankers to be used as weapons. Barot, 34, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to murder. He will serve at least 40 years in prison.
Born in India, Barot moved with his parents to England; he was brought up as a Hindu in a quiet corner of suburban London. He is believed to have converted to Islam at around age 20, and he paid several visits to Pakistan in the late 1990s.
In September 1999, Barot traveled to the Philippines, where he is believed to have received training in explosives.
The details of Barot's terrorist plot came to light after a computer belonging to a senior al-Qaida operative was seized in Pakistan. It held documents sent by Barot, detailing his likely targets.
In 2000 and 2001, Barot visited the United States, where he shot what were described as reconnaissance videos of financial targets such as the New York Stock Exchange and the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C.
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