Wembley man who planted bomb that killed American soldier in Iraq is convicted of murder
Anis Abid Sardar has been found guilty of murder - Credit: Archant
A black cab driver from Wembley has been found guilty of mudering an American soldier with a roadside improvised explosive devices (IED) during a terrorist campaign in Iraq.
Sergeant First Class Randy Johnson was killed by a bomb (Pic credit: Central News) - Credit: Archant
Expert bomb maker Anis Sardar, 38, o fLlanover Road, planned the slaughter of coalition forces with a series of IEDs planted near Baghdad in 2007.
Today he was convicted of murder and conspiracy to murder at Woolwich Crown Court.
One of Sardar’s bombs exploded directly under a US military vehicle killing Sergeant First Class Randy Johnson, 34, who was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Sgt Johnson begged his colleagues ‘don’t let me die here’, as he lay fatally wounded after the blast.
The hunt is on to find Sajjad Adnan - Credit: Archant
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Sardar, who passed the knowledge in 2013, told jurors he was in a ‘lawless warzone’ and only wanted to defend fellow Sunni Muslims against attacks from Shia militia forces.
When anti-terror police raided his home in September last year they found a bomb-making manual written in Arabic.
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He originally denied any involvement and insisted he was studying Arabic in Damascus in Syria at the time they were built.
Sardar who came to the UK from India in his teens, said he went to Iraq in 2006 after studying Arabic in Syria.
But after his fingerprints were found on tape pulled from two of the bombs he admitted helping Sajjad Adnan in the production of IEDs whilst in Iraq in 2007.
The University of Westminster dropout said he was sad about the death of Sgt Johnson, but claimed Tony Blair, Dick Cheney and George Bush were the real culprits.
A charge of conspiring to cause an explosion with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to murder together with Adnan, who is yet to be found, was left to lie on file.
Commander Richard Walton, Head of the Metropolitan Police’s counter terrorism command (SO15), 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.
“I would also like to thank our colleagues in the FBI and TEDAC for their cooperation throughout this investigation, without which, this conviction would not have been possible.”
He is due to be sentenced tomorrow morning.
