Michael Campbell
Michael Campbell was jailed for 12 years following an MI5 sting in Lithuania Reuters

An arms dealer, who was caught buying weapons for the Real IRA during an MI5 undercover operation, has been jailed for 12 years.

Michael Campbell, 38, was sentenced by a Lithuanian court after he was recorded by agents saying that he was aiming to "target Brits" and "bomb London."

The capture of the arms dealer involved a higly complex operation involving the international security service, MI5, and officials in Lithuania, who had never been a part of a counter-terrorism sting.

The operation named "Uncritical" led Campbell to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, into a carefully prepared trap where he expected to buy artillery from other weapon arm dealers and transport them back to the UK.

The Real IRA, responsible for the Omagh bombing in 1998, was looking to expand its operations into Northern Ireland and England.