UK Blogger Who Called for Murder of MPs jailed for 12 Years

An internet blogger in Britain who called for the murder of Members of Parliament that supported the war in Iraq has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Bilal Zaheer Ahmad, 23, from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands was also sentenced for other offenses related to terrorism.

According to prosecutors at Bristol Crown Court, Ahmad used an extremist Islamic Web site called www.revolutionmuslim.com to incite others to attack MPs. The Web site has since been closed down by U.S. officials.

The judge in the case, Mr. Justice Royce, described Ahmad as a "viper in our midst" and lamented he was "willing to go as far as possible to strike at the heart of our system".

"Whatever our views on the Iraq War, we are a democracy,” the judge told Ahmad.

"You purport to be a British citizen, but what you stand for is totally alien to what we stand for in our country."