Newark (New Jersey), April 27 (Reuters): A British businessman was found guilty today of trying to aid terrorists for selling a shoulder-launched missile to an informant posing as a militant seeking to attack the US.

Hemant Lakhani, 69, a British citizen born in India, was found guilty of five criminal charges by a US district court jury in Newark, New Jersey, that began deliberating yesterday.

Lakhani was arrested in August 2003 after a two-year international sting operation and accused of trying to provide material support to terrorists, unlawful arms sales, smuggling and two counts of money laundering.

His arrest was among the first terrorism arrests on US soil after the September 11, 2001, attacks. US authorities described him as a major arms dealer and the case as a major blow in the war against terrorism. Defence lawyers portrayed him as a hapless businessman caught in a set-up.

Juror June Cantor, 46, said the evidence was overwhelming. ?It was black and white, there were films, there were transcripts... He was not entrapped.?