A man has been cleared of firing a gun during a street battle which triggered a spate of deadly tit-for-tat attacks across Bradford district.

It is thought the clash in Keighley during August 2001, which saw shots fired and cars rammed, led directly to the murder of Yasser Hussain Nazir, who was blasted with a shotgun at a Bradford petrol station a month later.

Yesterday at Bradford Crown Court, Mohammed Riasat was found not guilty of possessing a real or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

But the 42-year-old of Saltburn Place, Heaton, was found guilty of violent disorder following the terrifying clashes in the Parson Street area of Keighley. The court heard how a mob, believed to be a rival gang from Bradford, had armed themselves with weapons including handguns and golf clubs, before setting off for Keighley in several cars. During the 11-day trial two men serving long prison sentences for conspiracy to murder security guard Qadir Ahmed gave evidence against him.

Zulfiqar Asif and Amjad Ali Azam claimed to have seen Riasat firing a gun in before he was knocked down and seriously injured by a car. Riasat told the jury he had been in Bradford at the time when he was wounded by a hit-and-run driver.

Judge James Stewart QC remanded Riasat in custody and said he faced an "inevitable" jail sentence.

Detective Superintendent Phil Sedgwick, who led the investigation, said: "This is the latest conviction over a string of serious offences including murder involving Keighley-based criminals."

The thugs had brought fear to the town's streets between Autumn 2001 and Winter 2002 when a series of gang related attacks left four young Asian men dead. In November 2001, 16-year-old Yasser Hussain Nazir was blasted at close range with a shotgun as he pulled up his car at a Bradford petrol station.

Just a month later, Yasser Khan was bludgeoned to death and Zaber Hussain was fatally stabbed during a gang-related fight in the Highfield area of Keighley.

And in June this year, seven men - including witnesses Asif and Ali - were jailed for plotting the murder of rival gang member Qadir Ahmed. In February 2002 his car was rammed off the road by Keighley's Victoria Park before he was chased by the gang who killed him with hammers axes and knives.

After yesterday's court hearing Det Supt Sedgwick said: "There is no doubt that Keighley is a safer place because a group of people who were involved in drugs and serious violence have been taken off the streets."