London, March 20 (PTI): Dhiren Barot, an Indian-origin man who plotted to use a radioactive “dirty bomb” here, was issued nine British passports, home secretary John Reid admitted today.

Seven of these were issued in his own name.

Thirty-four-year-old Barot from Kingsbury, north-west London, was convicted last year of conspiring to murder civilians in the city by blowing up gas cylinders and detonating a dirty bomb.

He is now serving a 40-year sentence.

The home office was recently forced to admit that up to 10,000 people had managed to obtain British passports by deception last year.