Hashem Abedi, convicted in the Manchester Arena bombing, has been transferred back to Belmarsh prison following an alleged attack on prison guards at HMP Frankland in County Durham.
Abedi is now housed in the only available highly-controlled “suite” cell in the UK, a standalone unit monitored by a minimum of five staff members and a prison dog. There are only four such cells across England and Wales, indicating the severity of his security needs.
The transfer comes after three prison officers were attacked with cooking oil and subsequently stabbed with an improvised weapon at HMP Frankland. This facility has been under scrutiny for violence, and Abedi’s history includes a prior conviction for assaulting a prison officer in 2020 while at Belmarsh, which is recognized as the UK’s most secure prison.
Abedi was found guilty of assisting his brother Salman Abedi in the 2017 bombing that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert. He was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years in prison for 22 counts of murder in 2020.
In response to the incident at HMP Frankland, the government has announced a review, suspending access to cooking facilities in separation units, which is where the alleged attack took place. The Prison Officers Association has urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to take immediate action to protect prison staff, advocating for measures such as stab-proof vests and taser access for certain situations, and calling for a complete ban on self-cooking facilities in separation units where some of the most dangerous criminals are housed.
The recent violence in various prisons throughout England and Wales has raised alarms, with a string of attacks occurring just days apart. For example, convicted killer John Mansfield was found dead at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire, leading to the arrest of a 44-year-old man on suspicion of murder. Another incident occurred at HMP Lowdham Grange in Nottinghamshire, where a specialist response group was deployed to manage a situation involving prisoners climbing onto the roof. The disturbance was resolved within an hour.
Prisons Minister Lord Timpson emphasized that these troubling events signal ongoing issues within the prison system, particularly regarding overcrowding and violence.
Credit: Sky News
