A Muslim taxi driver who murdered a Glasgow shopkeeper for claiming he was a prophet has been jailed for a minimum of 27 years.
Tanveer Ahmed, 32, travelled from Yorkshire to Shawlands to confront Asad Shah at his store before pulling out a knife and stabbing the 40-year-old.
Ahmed claimed to have been offended by clips Mr Shah had posted online which he said ''disrespected the Prophet Muhammad''.
Today at the High Court in Glasgow Judge Lady Rae sentenced the Bradford father-of-three to a minimum of 27 years after he admitted the murder in Glasgow's Shawlands area on March 24.
🎥WATCH: Confronting murderer Tanveer Ahmed's family after he shouted "There is only 1 Prophet" in the dock #AsadShah pic.twitter.com/pdkNhmAOFs
— Connor Gillies (@ConnorGillies) August 9, 2016
Judge Lady Rae said during the sentencing: "Tanveer Ahmed this was a barbaric killing of a peace-loving man, an appalling display of merciless violence."
After being sentenced Tanveer Ahmed shouted to his supporters in Arabic: "There is one prophet and that prophet is Mohammed."
Ahmed was told he must serve a minimum of 27 years before being considered for release.
Ahmed watched a clip featuring Mr Shah on his mobile phone as he travelled to Glasgow on the day of the murder and was heard in a phone message to say "listen to this guy, something needs to be done, it needs nipped in the bud".
When he arrived at the shop, Ahmed said he warned the shopkeeper he was there to kill him and asked him to stop claiming to be a prophet.
Mr Shah's brother and a shop assistant tried to fend him off as he launched his attack on the popular businessman, described by locals as a ''pillar of the community''.
The Shah family, who moved to Scotland from Pakistan in the 1990s to escape persecution, belong to the Ahmadi sect of Islam whose beliefs differ from the majority of Muslims.
The court heard their belief that Prophet Muhammad was not the final prophet was a view many consider blasphemous.
In a statement released through his lawyer after the killing, Ahmed said: "If I had not done this others would have and there would be more killings and violence in the world."
The Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, said today: "Asad Shah was a well liked and respected member of the community who was savagely murdered by a total stranger.
“This was a brutal, unprovoked and relentless attack on an unsuspecting victim. It has left his family and friends devastated at the loss of a kind and peace loving man.
“Tanveer Ahmed’s crime has rightly been condemned by communities across Glasgow and the rest of the country.
”Tanveer Ahmed has committed the gravest of crimes and he will now serve a very lengthy period in jail as a result of his actions.”
Chief Superintendent Brian McInulty, Local Policing Commander for Greater Glasgow Division, said: "Our thoughts continue to be with the family of Asad Shah, whose presence in the community is very much missed by everyone who knew him.
"I hope that the sentencing today will reassure the immediate community in Glasgow's south-side as well as communities all across Scotland that acts of violence such as this are utterly unacceptable and cannot be justified.
"Glasgow is a strong, united, multi-faith community that has immense pride in its diversity."
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