A plumber who planned a terror attack in Westminster and made bombs for the Taliban has been jailed for life.

Khalid Ali, 28, from Edmonton, was caught carrying three knives in Parliament Street, central London, on April 27, 2017.

It was later revealed that he had spent five years in Afghanistan making bombs.

He will serve at least 40 years for preparing an act of terrorism in the UK and two counts of possessing an explosive substance with intent.

Ali will serve a minimum of 40 years for the explosives offences, and life with a minimum term of 25 years for planning an attack in the UK - which will run concurrently.

On April 22 last year Ali was seen on CCTV walking past the MI6 building, Westminster Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Whitehall.

Five days later, his mother called police and said she had found four knives in his bedroom.

He was arrested later that day, just metres from Downing Street.

The court heard Ali had travelled to Afghanistan in 2011, where he had spent five years making bombs.

When he returned to the UK in early November 2016 he was stopped at Heathrow airport, interviewed by police and had his fingerprints and DNA samples taken.

His fingerprints were found on explosive devices handed in to US forces in Afghanistan in 2012.

Ali told police he had "pressed the button" on more than 300 remote controlled bombs in Afghanistan and returned to the UK to deliver a "message" to those in power.

Police earlier defended the decision not to arrest Ali until April 2017, saying security services had been "managing any potential risk" and that he was arrested at the "most appropriate time".

Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC said the UK plot was designed to attract "maximum publicity and instil terror".

He added: "I think you would have killed any police officer you could."