Prison Officers Injured in Attack by Manchester Bomb Plotter Hashem Abedi

Two prison officers sustained serious injuries after being attacked by Hashem Abedi, a convicted Manchester bomb plotter, at HMP Frankland. The attack, described by the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) as unprovoked and vicious, involved Abedi throwing hot cooking oil at the officers before using makeshift weapons to stab them. Following the incident on Saturday, the injured officers were taken to the hospital, where their condition has since stabilized, although one officer has already been discharged.

Mark Fairhurst, the national chairman of the POA, expressed his concern for the injured officers and their families while acknowledging the seriousness of their injuries, which include burns and stab wounds. The investigation into the incident is being conducted by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, with local law enforcement supporting the efforts. The suspect, Hashem Abedi, was already serving a lengthy prison sentence stemming from his earlier involvement in the Manchester terror attack.

The attack raised questions about security measures in the prison, particularly at the separation centre where Abedi was housed. Fairhurst pointed out significant concerns regarding inmates' access to cooking facilities and utensils that could be weaponized. He emphasized that the protocols need to be reevaluated to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, fearing the possibility of copycat attacks. The separation centres are meant to manage prisoners with extreme views, and information gathering must be accurate and effective to ensure proper containment.

According to a 2022 inspection, at the time, the separation centres housed only Muslim men and were equipped with a small communal area and cooking facilities. The limited resources and overcrowded conditions present challenges for staff, who are tasked with monitoring these high-security prisoners effectively. Abedi's case, marked by the tragic bombing incident in 2017 that claimed 22 lives, highlights the potential risks posed by inmates in high-security settings.