A man has been found guilty of murdering eight members of the same family in an arson attack 17 years ago.

Shahid Mohammed, 37, killed three generations of the same family, including five young girls, in a house fire in Huddersfield in 2002 in a bitter dispute over his sister’s relationship.

Mohammed was one of several men involved in planning the arson attack but skipped bail before a trial in 2003 and fled to Pakistan, Leeds crown court was told.

Jurors heard the blaze, which caused the deaths of eight members of the Chishti family, was the result of a grudge that the defendant had been “pursuing vigorously”.

Prosecutors said Mohammed, of no fixed address, reacted angrily when his sister, Shahida, became involved in a relationship with a man named Saud Pervez, of whom he did not approve.

One member of the Chishti family, Mohammed Ateeq-ur-Rehman, known as Ateeq, had played an “active part” in maintaining their relationship, and was most likely the target of the attack in Birkby on 12 May 2002, the court heard.

Petrol bombs were thrown into the property and petrol, which is believed to have been poured into the home through a nozzle, was ignited.

Mohammed, went missing for 12 years after the attack. He had been sought by police ever since, with numerous appeals made for his whereabouts. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2015 before being extradited back to the UK.

In July 2003, three Huddersfield men, Shaied Iqbal, Shakiel Shazad, and Nazar Hussain, were convicted for their part in the crime.

Shazad and Hussain were convicted of manslaughter, while Iqbal was convicted of eight counts of murder. Hussain has since been released on parole.

On Tuesday, Judge Robin Spencer said there was “only one sentence for murder and that is life imprisonment”.

But he said the matter was complicated because different sentencing guidelines were in effect when the offence was committed, and the time Mohammed spent in Pakistan awaiting extradition may have to be taken into consideration.

Those who died were Nafeesa Aziz, 35, and her daughters Tayyaba Batool, 13; Rabiah Batool, 10; Ateeqa Nawaz, five; Aneesa Nawaz, two, and six-month-old Najeebah Nawaz.

Ateeq, who was Aziz’s 18-year-old brother, also died in the fire and their mother, Zaib-un-Nisa, 54, died a week later in hospital from head injuries sustained when she jumped from the property to escape.

The Chishti family have fought for justice for years. Mohammed was extradited back to the UK in October by officers from West Yorkshire police’s homicide and major inquiry team, with support from the British high commission in Islamabad.

He had been held in prison in Pakistan since being found and arrested in Rawalpindi in January 2015 following a joint operation between West Yorkshire police, the National Crime Agency and Pakistani authorities.

His extradition was the second from Pakistan in more than 10 years.

Det Ch Supt Nick Wallen said the incident remained the biggest single event of multiple murders that his force had investigated.

“It has been an extensive and protracted inquiry with a large team of detectives tirelessly working to secure justice for the family,” he said.

“Since 2002, the Chishti family has shown nothing but dignity throughout this unimaginable tragedy for their family. I would like to express my greatest condolences and gratitude to them for all these years and I wholeheartedly welcome the verdict handed to Mohammed after he attempted to evade justice for so many years.”

Mohammed had denied eight counts of murder and a single count of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. He will be sentenced on Wednesday.