U.N. court has convicted the organizer of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed more than 500,000 lives and sentenced him to life in prison.

The court said that Theoneste Bagosora distributed weapons and directed Hutu soldiers and the notorious Interahamwe militia to kill Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Judge Erik Moses said Thursday that Bagosora was guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The massacres took place in 1994 after the Rwandan president's plane was mysteriously shot down over Kigali as he returned home from peace talks with Tutsi-led rebels.