Two men were today behind bars awaiting prison sentences after they were convicted of firearms offences.

Ishfaq Ali, 28, of Kensington Street, Toller Lane, Bradford, and Mohammed Amber, 25, of Upper Woodlands Road, Girlington, Bradford, were found guilty in fewer than 30 minutes by a jury at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

A third defendant, Mobeen Hussain, 25, of Fairbank Road, Girlington, Bradford, was cleared and discharged.

All three men were on trial accused of possession of a prohibited firearm and having another firearm and ammunition in a public place.

Ali and Amber were remanded in custody after the verdicts to await sentence on a date to be fixed.

They will be joined in the dock by Ali’s brother Sheraz Ali, 31, of Girlington, and Umear Hussain, 24, of Preston Place, Halifax.

They pleaded guilty to the offences before the trial started. Both are in custody.

During the trial the jury was told that police set up a surveillance operation after officers held a meeting with Sheraz Ali in Armley Prison and were told by him that guns were to be moved in Bradford.

Prosecutor Tom Storey said Sheraz Ali, who had been remanded in custody accused of drugs offences, had provided police with information in the hope of earning himself bail. The jury was told that Amber called a minicab from Girlington on December 14 last year and that it had then been covertly watched by police.

Umear Hussain took the cab to McDonald’s in Keighley, ferrying two guns and ammunition.

Armed police swooped on the cab and seized a .22 rifle, with the stock and barrel shortened, a .410 double barrel shotgun and six shotgun cartridges.

Amber was seen by undercover police burning a black bin bag in an alleyway off Woodlands Terrace, Girlington, on the order of Umear Hussain.

Mobeen Hussain told the court he was innocently caught up in the criminality and went home as soon as he suspected “something dodgy” was going on.