All prisoners held in the terrorism unit at HMP Frankland, where Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi assaulted guards, have been relocated. The unit, which housed seven inmates including extremist preacher Anjem Choudary has been emptied as counter-terrorism authorities investigate the attack. Abedi, who threw hot oil at officers and stabbed them with makeshift blades, has been transferred to London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, while the other six prisoners were moved to HMP Woodhill.
The separation center is now a crime scene, with investigators probing whether other inmates were aware of or assisted in the attack. Authorities have not yet classified the incident as a terrorist act. The Ministry of Justice has announced an independent review, but survivors of the 2017 Manchester bombing have expressed outrage over the attack.
Martin Hibbert, left paralyzed in the bombing, criticized the prison system for allowing Abedi access to kitchen facilities, calling it a “catastrophic failure” of security. In an open letter to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Hibbert demanded immediate action to restrict privileges for dangerous inmates. Two officers remain hospitalized with serious injuries, while a third has been discharged.
Abedi, serving a life sentence for his role in the Manchester Arena attack, had previously assaulted prison staff in 2020. Survivors and victims’ families argue that the justice system has failed to uphold their safety and dignity.
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