Five British citizens were sentenced to life in prison Monday after a jury found them guilty of planning to build and detonate fertilizer bombs at shopping malls, nightclubs and other targets around London.

Omar Khyam, 26, Waheed Mahmood, 34, Jawad Akbar, 23, Salahuddin Amin, 31, and Anthony Garcia, 24 were found guilty of plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.

In handing down the sentence, the judge, Sir Michael Astill, said they had "betrayed their country."

Two other men, Nabeel Hussain, 21, and Shujah Mahmood, 20, were found not guilty.

The seven British citizens had been charged with planning to attack a number of locations around London with chemical fertilizer bombs in March 2004.

Police say the targets included a shopping centre, a popular nightclub, a sports arena and the city's gas or electrical network.

Linked to transit bombers?

"Five dangerous terrorists are now behind bars thanks to the hard work of our police and security services. Today's case reminds us all that the terrorist threat we face is real and severe," Home Secretary John Reid told reporters.

"It's not the first time they have averted a very serious threat to life in this country. This is an endless task, it is a continuing one."

Police believe the men are from the same terror cell as the group believed responsible for city's 2005 transit bombings, information withheld from the jury over fears it could prejudice their deliberations.

Fifty-six people died when bombs went off on three subway trains and a bus on July 7, 2005.

Opposition parties have called for an inquiry into the link over fears the probe into the fertilizer bomb distracted police from the transit bombers, allowing them to successfully carry out the attacks.

Canadian man held

A Canadian man, Mohammad Momin Khawaja, was named a co-conspirator in the alleged plot, but wasn't charged in Britain. Police allege the computer expert was planning to design and build a remote detonator for the bombs.

He was arrested at his Ottawa home on March 29, 2004, the same day the British suspects were arrested during a series of raids around London. Khawaja was the first person to be charged under Canada's post-Sept. 11 anti-terror laws. He remains in custody in Canada.

The men were arrested after police discovered 600 kilograms of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in a self-storage unit near London.

The jury took 27 days to reach Monday's verdict, the longest deliberation ever at the Old Bailey, London's central criminal court. The trial took roughly a year and was Britain's most expensive terror trial.

With files from the Associated Press