London, Jun 24 (IANS): A British Muslim extremist was sentenced for life in prison after plotting a 'Lee Rigby' style beheading on Remembrance day.

Nadir Syed, 23, who was sentenced on Thursday, will serve a minimum of 15 years before he is eligible for parole, the Daily Mail reported.

Syed of West London planned to sever the head of a poppy seller on Remembrance Day in November last year and hold it up for the camera.

The Muslim extremist was in touch with an Islamic State (IS) member in Syria, officials said.

He was in regular contact with two of his friends who had joined the IS and had been encouraging others to launch terrorist attacks.

Syed is said to have admired IS executioner Jihadi John and secured his phone with the passcode 77911 in tribute to the 7/7 and 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The detectives had Syed and his friends under surveillance and realised that he was buying a knife and preparing what they believed was to be a suicide attack.

Syed was frustrated at being unable to leave the country to join the IS and decided instead to launch attacks in Britain.

Detectives believe the "tipping point" came when he was served with an anti-social behaviour order on November 6, 2015 which banned him from associating with a number of other radicals.

Syed was encouraged by a fatwa released by the IS which called for "lone wolf" terrorist attacks in the West.

He was increasingly obsessed by Remembrance Day and was filmed with his cousin, Yousaf, stamping on a poppy in the street.