S A Basha, leader of the banned fundamentalist outfit Al-Umma, was on Friday found guilty of conspiring to plant bombs in and around Chennai in 1998.

A special judge of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, L Rajendran, also found twenty-two others guilty on various charges of conspiracy, violation of the criminal law amendment act for supporting a banned outfit, possessing and transporting weapons and explosives and preventing officers from performing their duties.

One person, Mohammed Rafiq, was acquitted.

Basha is also the main accused in the February 1998 serial bomb blast case in Coimbatore, which occurred hours before Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Kishenchand Advani was to address a public meeting there.

The judge will pronounce the sentence on Monday.