AMSTERDAM, July 26: An Amsterdam court on Tuesday sentenced Mohammed Bouyeri, a Dutch-Moroccan Islamic radical, to life in prison for the murder of film-maker Theo van Gogh. Mohammed Bouyeri, who was born and raised in The Netherlands, told the court during his trial that he killed Van Gogh out of his Islamic beliefs.

The victim, a distant relative of 19th-century painter Vincent Van Gogh, was well known for his scathing criticism of Islam and multicultural society. He was shot and stabbed in broad daylight as he cycled the streets of Amsterdam on Nov 2, 2004. Both the prosecution and the defence have two weeks to appeal Tuesday’s decision. A lawyer for Bouyeri told journalists he did not expect to file an appeal but no definite decision had yet been taken.—AFP