Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, was allegedly like ‘a silent assassin’ as he left three prison guards with burns, scalds and stab wounds.
The officers suffered injuries at HMP Frankland in County Durham after Abedi attacked them with hot cooking oil and ‘home made weapons,’ the Prison Officers’ Association alleged.
It was a miracle that the officers survived, a source has claimed.
They told the Sun: ‘Abedi was completely silent and grinning as he carried out the attack.
‘There is no doubt he wanted to kill and it is miraculous they all survived. But he was acting like a silent assassin.’
He is thought to have collected and hidden sachets of butter or margarine to make hot oil. Prisoners are not given bottles of oil as ‘it’s dangerous,’ the source explained.
They continued: ‘The attack came totally out of the blue and he first threw the boiling substance over the female officer then stabbed the two guys.
‘All hell broke loose. The guy stabbed in the neck was walking down a corridor and holding his wound, with blood pouring out.
‘He was particularly lucky to survive. Other officers raced to the scene and helped the injured guys while a riot team formed outside.’
The Prison Service confirmed police are investigating and two of the officers are still in hospital after suffering life-threatening injuries.
Abedi targeted a warder in her 30s with hot cooking oil before reportedly stabbing two male workers, one in his 30s and one around 60, with a makeshift knife, according to the outlet.
The female officer was discharged on Saturday afternoon.
Hashem Abedi's role in the Manchester Arena bombing
Abedi was found guilty of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life following the Manchester Arena bombing on May 22, 2017.
The bombing itself was carried out by his brother Salman, who died in the blast.
During his trial at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) in London, the jury heard compelling evidence of Hashem’s activities in the months leading up to the attack.
These included persuading close acquaintances to purchase chemicals on his behalf that could be used to manufacture explosives, sourcing metal drums that were used to build bomb prototypes, and buying a Nissan Micra that was used to store the bomb components back in Manchester whilst the brothers were in Libya.
Witnesses also gave evidence in court which suggested the brothers had developed an extremist mindset. One witness stated in court that, in his opinion, Hashem ‘believed in terrorism’.
The source added: ‘This is a terrorist attack in a prison, not just an assault. It was extremely serious and clearly pre-meditated and planned.’
A Prison Service spokesperson said: ‘Three prison officers have been treated in hospital after an attack by a prisoner at HMP Frankland.
‘Police are now investigating so it would be inappropriate to comment further.
‘Violence in prison will not be tolerated, and we will always push for the strongest punishment for attacks on our hardworking staff.’
Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood, said on X: ‘I am appalled by the attack of three brave officers at HMP Frankland today. My thoughts are with them and their families.
‘The police are now investigating. I will be pushing for the strongest possible punishment.
‘Violence against our staff will never be tolerated.’
HMP Frankland also has a separation centre.
These centres, introduced in 2017, aim to control prisoners with extreme views, for example by preventing them from disrupting the prison estate, supporting acts of terrorism or radicalising other inmates.
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POA’s national chairman, Mark Fairhurst, said: ‘Separation centres hold the most dangerous terrorist offenders who simply do not wish to alter their ideology, and as this event confirms, are determined to inflict violence on those who hold them securely.
‘We must now review the freedoms we allow separation centre prisoners have.
‘I am of the opinion that allowing access to cooking facilities and items that can threaten the lives of staff should be removed immediately.
‘These prisoners need only receive their basic entitlements and we should concentrate on control and containment instead of attempting to appease them. Things have to change.’
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