Three British Muslims were sentenced to life in jail on Monday after they were found guilty last week of conspiracy to murder on transatlantic planes.

Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, described as the plot ringleader, was sentenced to life in prison, to serve no less than 40 years while 29-year-old Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain, 28, were both handed the same sentence, to serve at least 36 and 32 years respectively.

At Woolwich Crown Court in south London, Justice Richard Henriques said the aircraft plot was the "most grave and wicked conspiracy ever proven within this jurisdiction."

"The intention was to perpetrate a terrorist atrocity that would stand alongside Sept. 11 in world history," he said. "I am satisfied that there was every likelihood this would have succeeded, but for intervention of police and security services."

The three men plotted to blow up seven planes headed to major cities in the United States and Canada with the liquid home-made bombs in suicide attacks.

Their arrests in August 2006 led to huge travel chaos, as hundreds of flights were grounded and thousands of people had their trips disrupted.

Three other men were found not guilty of the aircraft plot as the jury failed to reach verdicts on the charge of conspiracy to murder, but Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said he would seek a retrial on the latter charge.

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2009)