A hitman offered £100,000 to murder a political activist who criticised the Pakistani government has been handed a life sentence.

Muhammad Gohir Khan, 31, was previously found guilty of plotting to murder blogger Ahmad Waqas Goraya in the Netherlands last June.

He was hired and directed by unknown people within Pakistan to assassinate Mr Goraya, who said he was told he was on a “kill list” by the FBI in December 2018, Kingston Crown Court was told.

The intended victim, who lives with his wife and two children, said he was abducted and tortured by Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency on his return to the country in 2017 after his secret blog was discovered.

He believes he and his family received threats “led and orchestrated” by the ISI after he was publicly accused of insulting God and the Prophet.

Iceland supermarket delivery driver Khan travelled to Rotterdam and bought a 19-inch paring knife, but the target was not at his home and Khan was held under anti-terrorism laws on his return to London on the Eurostar.

Prosecutors said Khan, who earned £11 an hour as a driver, was “enthusiastic” about carrying out the killing – and further attacks – to earn money as he was heavily in debt, owing creditors more than £200,000.

Khan, who lived with his parents, wife and six children in Forest Gate, east London, claimed he had no intention of murdering Mr Goraya but played along to “extract money”.

But in January, following a trial, he was found guilty of conspiracy to murder between February and June last year.

Mr Justice Hilliard gave Khan a life sentence with a minimum term of 13 years on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said.

Commander Richard Smith, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Khan fell foul of his own low cunning and artifice, and the investigation found he was willing to carry out a murder for financial gain, giving no regard for his intended victim.

“We were able to stop Khan from carrying out this murderous plot through co-operation with UK Border Force and our Dutch colleagues in the Rotterdam Counter Terrorism, Extremism and Radicalisation (CTER) Unit who worked tirelessly alongside their SO15 counterparts throughout the investigation.

“Borders officers at Rotterdam initially raised concerns over Khan as he was travelling back to the UK and following his arrest, and thanks to this vigilance and co-operation, our officers launched an investigation and were able to reveal his true intentions.”