Nicholas Roddis, 23, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was given consecutive jail sentences at Leeds Crown Court of five years for engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism, and two years for placing the hoax bomb on the bus with intent.

Roddis was charged with the offences after police found information about making an explosive device, chemicals, including acetone and hydrogen peroxide, fuse wire and a quantity of nails at his home.

Sentencing him today, Judge John Milford QC said: "You intended to make a bomb."

The three-week trial heard how Roddis boarded the Maltby to Rotherham bus service on May 8 last year wearing a false beard, and left the hoax bomb, which consisted of a bag of sugar, a clock and wires, in a plastic bag on the vehicle when he got off.

After passengers noticed the package, the bus and neighbouring houses were evacuated and an Army bomb disposal team blew up the device.

A note was found with the hoax bomb which said, in badly written Arabic: "There is no God but Allah. Mohammed is the messenger of Allah. Allah the Greatest. Allah the Greatest. Allah the Greatest."

The note went on to say: "Britain must be punished" and was signed "The al Qaida organisation in Iraq".

Roddis was arrested two months later after concerns about his behaviour at his former workplace, and police searched his lodgings.

Judge Milford said: "What was revealed was that you were the person responsible for the hoax bomb and a mass of material, in electronic form and some in hard copy, which demonstrates, despite your Christian upbringing in Yorkshire, you had become an adherent of Islamic militancy."

The judge said Roddis's interest in Islam came from his immaturity and isolation and his reaction to a family situation.

He said: "The breakdown of your parents' marriage has caused you much suffering. You seem to have had few friends, little social life and no girlfriend.

In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent John Parkinson, head of the Counter Terrorism Unit in Leeds, said: "Nicholas Roddis is a disaffected, yet dangerous individual.

"While he may not have progressed as far as carrying out an act of violence, he had already performed an elaborate bomb hoax, causing disruption and unnecessary fear to bus passengers.

"Furthermore, Roddis demonstrated an intent to carry out acts which could have caused harm to innocent people. He had also researched explosives and purchased potential components. In this respect, the threat he posed was real.

"Evidence of extremist thinking and anti-western propaganda was recovered from his Rotherham bed-sit. We believe Roddis was sympathetic to this ideology and adopted some extremist views.

"However, we do not believe he was a genuine convert to Islam, or fully embraced the true religious practices associated with being a Muslim.

"Roddis is an individual excited by acts of violent extremism. He attempted to hide behind his distorted interpretation of Islam as a means of justifying his deviant behaviour and fascinations."

Chief Superintendent Matt Jukes, from South Yorkshire Police, added: "The initial incident of bomb hoax caused an immediate disruption to the streets affected, but our communities have been very positive about the actions of all the emergency services.

"That was the start of a comprehensive investigation, in which we never dismissed the events as a prank. This initial investigation, joined up with the information from the counter-terrorism unit formed a compelling case.

"Our local communities have been concerned that Roddis has been repeatedly described as a Muslim convert. It's clear from all our inquiries that he had found his own outlet and motivations, principally through the internet.

"He was obviously drawn to anti-western sentiments used by extremist and terrorist groups, but it would appear he knew next to nothing about the true nature of Islam and had not been converted to the faith by any person or group."