A Saudi man accused of gathering material for building a bomb to target sites across the United States was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, U.S. media reported.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, a former Texas college student, received the sentence in Amarillo, Texas, where jurors convicted him in June of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, according to a report on the website of The Houston Chronicle.

Prosecutors said the 22-year-old had collected bomb-making material in his Texas apartment and researched possible targets, including the Dallas home of former U.S. president George W. Bush.

Although Aldawsari apologized on Tuesday for "these bad actions, " Judge Donald E. Walter said the evidence against him was overwhelming.

"But the bottom line is that but by the grace of God there would be dead Americans," Walter said. "You would have done it. In every step, it was you all alone."

Aldawsari was lawfully admitted into the United States in 2008 on a student visa and was enrolled at South Plains College near Lubbock, Texas to study business.

He was arrested by FBI agents in February 2011 on charges of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction in connection with his alleged purchase of chemicals and equipment necessary to make an improvised explosive device (IED).

According to court documents, Aldawsari had been researching online about how to construct an IED using several chemicals as ingredients. He had also acquired or taken a substantial step toward acquiring most of the ingredients and equipment necessary to construct an IED.

Documents also showed that he had conducted online research of several potential U.S. targets. The targets he researched included nuclear power plants and the homes of three former soldiers who were stationed at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, according to the report.

He also allegedly described his desire for violent jihad and martyrdom in blog postings and a personal journal.