1st LD Writehthru: London tube train bomber sentenced to life in prison

LONDON, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Teenager Ahmed Hassan was sentenced on Friday to life in prison with a minimum term of 34 years after planting a bomb on a packed rush hour train at Parsons Green in London in September last year.

Hassan, 18, was described as "dangerous and devious" by a judge. His home-made device partially exploded during London's rush hour on Sept. 15, 2017, injuring 51 people.

The Iraqi asylum seeker, from Surrey, was on Friday found guilty of attempted murder. Before the attack, he had been referred to a government deradicalisation program.

Hassan was sentenced by the judge in line with section 30 of the Terrorism Act 2008.

He was arrested at the Port of Dover on Sept. 16, 2017 and was charged six days later with the above offence.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, said, "Hassan built a home-made bomb packed full of shrapnel that was designed to kill, maim and injure as many people as he could. It was only through good fortune that it didn't fully detonate. Had it done so, I have little doubt that we would have been dealing with many fatalities."

Chief Superintendent John Conaghan, who is from British Transport Police, said, "We thoroughly welcome the lengthy sentence that Hassan has been handed by the court today. In September last year, he put Londoners through a frightening ordeal when he left his home-made bomb on a District Line train."

"His appalling attack could have claimed many lives on that busy rush hour train. Thankfully, no one was killed and his imprisonment will prevent him from posing any further threat to the public."

Prosecutors at the sentencing hearing said there would have been "serious harm, if not fatality" if the bomb -- packed with 2kg of screwdrivers, knives, nuts and bolts -- had fully detonated.

In a January 2016 immigration interview, Hassan told British officials he had been in contact with the Islamic State group and had been "trained to kill". The trial also heard he blamed Britain for the death of his father in Iraq. Enditem