MONTREAL — One-half of a Montreal duo accused of firebombing two Jewish institutions was sentenced to four years in prison Monday for what a Quebec court judge decried as an act of terrorism.

Azim Ibragimov, 25, pleaded guilty earlier this year to tossing a Molotov cocktail at the Skver-Toldos Orthodox Jewish Boys school in September 2006 and at the Ben Weider Jewish Community Centre in April 2007.

Ibragimov also pleaded guilty to writing letters that claimed the crimes were committed in the name of Islamic Jihad, a militant group that has vowed to destroy Israel and set up an Islamic Palestinian state.

Judge Gilles Cadieux called the arson attacks "terrorism" in a lengthy ruling rendered Monday in Quebec Court.

The Crown got the four-year sentence it was seeking for Ibragimov. It applauded Cadieux's ruling and his reference to terrorism.

"It didn't need to qualified because the maximum sentences that come with these charges are already significant, but it's certainly important the judge made the distinction," said Crown prosecutor Mario Dufresne.

Ibragimov's letters hinted that further acts were forthcoming, and his arson attacks caused widespread panic among the community. The assault on the school occurred just minutes after a function had ended.

"There is a residual fear, these terrorist issues arise every so often," Steven Slimovitch, B'nai Brith Canada's national legal counsel, said after the sentencing.

"Every time they arise -- whether they are in Montreal or anywhere in the world -- they cause the community to be concerned."

Ibragimov and Omar Bulphred were arrested in April 2007 and have remained in detention since.

With time already served, Ibragimov will have 10 months remaining in his sentence.

Cadieux dismissed Ibragimov's attempt to lay most of the blame on Bulphred as the brains of the operation, saying that Ibragimov participated fully in the acts and even penned the letters himself.

Ibragimov has claimed that Bulphred dictated the content of the letters to him and his lawyers argued he was merely the accomplice.

But Cadieux ruled that the delay between the two arson attacks gave Ibragimov enough time to consider the consequences of his actions.

The defence had asked for a suspended sentence and community service.

Ibragimov's lawyers argued that his actions were based on naivete. He apologized in a letter read in court, and asked for a second chance.

Cadieux said the chances of a repeat offence are slim, but Ibragimov will still be subject to three years' probation following completion of his sentence.

Meanwhile, Bulphred has opted for a trial and is due back in court on Dec. 16.