A Pakistani has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for plotting bombing attacks in Sydney, Australia

BBC News:

Faheem Khalid Lodhi, a Pakistan-born architect, was convicted in June of planning various attacks on the city's power grid and military installations.

He was found guilty of three charges relating to terrorism, and faced a maximum sentence of life in jail.

Lodhi, who denies all charges against him, was prosecuted under Australia's strict new anti-terrorism laws.

Lohdi showed no emotion during Judge Anthony Whealy's sentencing on Wednesday.

Judge Whealy said that tough punishment was needed, because his actions "displayed an intention on his part that a violent terrorist act or acts would be carried out in Australia".

During Lodhi's trial in June, the New South Wales Supreme Court heard that he was planning an attack in Sydney in October 2003.

The prosecution said that the 36-year-old architect had written a so-called terror manual in his native Urdu, with instructions for making explosives and poisons obtained from the internet.

The court was also shown maps of Australia's national electricity grid that Lodhi had bought, and DVDs in his possession that contained information on violent jihad and terrorist training.

Lodhi pleaded not guilty to the charges, and claimed that his interest in chemicals was part of a business venture, and the maps of Sydney's energy infrastructure were part of a marketing plan to send generators to Pakistan.

Investigators have also claimed that Lodhi was in close contact with a suspected extremist from France, Willie Brigitte, who was deported by Australian authorities.

Both men are alleged to have trained with Lashkar-i-Toiba, a militant group based in Pakistan.

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