Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- A British Muslim convert was jailed for at least 18 years for an attempted suicide bombing that was inspired by Islamist attacks.

Nicky Reilly, 22, who was charged under the name Mohammed Saeed-Alim, was given two concurrent life sentences with a minimum term of 18 years at the Central Criminal Court in London today, a court official said in a telephone interview. Reilly, from Plymouth, pleaded guilty on Oct. 15 to charges of attempted murder and conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism.

One of Reilly’s two nail-packed bombs exploded as he attempted to assemble it on May 22 in the restroom of the Giraffe restaurant at the Princesshay shopping mall in Exeter, southwestern England. Reilly, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, was the only person injured in the explosion.

His actions “could have led to the death and serious injury of many innocent bystanders,” said Debbie Simpson, Assistant Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, in a statement posted on the force’s Web Site.

“We accept he has Asperger’s Syndrome, but the judge has said today that he was fully aware of his actions and the consequences of them. His sentence reflects that,” she said.

Police are continuing to investigate who Reilly was in contact with in the run-up to the attacks, both in the U.K. and abroad, including in Pakistan.

“This is likely to be a long-term investigation and we are not looking at sending anyone over to Pakistan in the immediate future,” Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement.

Reilly’s mother, Kim, believes that her son was “brainwashed” and that he should be in a hospital, not in prison. “He’s a vulnerable person, and he’s been radicalized,” she said in an interview broadcast in October.

To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 30, 2009 10:37 EST