The brother of the Manchester Arena suicide bomber has been held in segregation for a period of nine months following allegations that he attempted to murder three prison officers at Frankland jail, it was revealed today.
Life Sentence for Arena Bombing Role
Hashem Abedi, aged 28, is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 55 years, which stands as the longest determinate sentence ever imposed in British legal history. This sentence was handed down for his instrumental role in assisting with the construction of the bomb that claimed the lives of 22 individuals, including men, women, and children, at an Ariana Grande pop concert in May 2017.
His younger brother, Salman Abedi, who was 22 years old at the time, executed the suicide attack upon returning to Manchester from Libya. Hashem Abedi was subsequently extradited to the United Kingdom in 2019 and faced conviction at the Old Bailey on March 17, 2020.
Additional Sentence for Previous Prison Assault
In addition to his lengthy term for the bombing, Abedi is also serving a concurrent sentence of three years and ten months for a separate violent incident. This relates to an attack on the manager of the high security unit at HMP Belmarsh in May 2020, which occurred just two months after his conviction for the Manchester atrocity.
Court Appearance and Legal Representation
Today, Abedi appeared via video link from Belmarsh prison in South East London at the Old Bailey, where he was surrounded by five prison officers clad in full riot gear. He had previously declined to instruct legal counsel but is now being represented in court proceedings.
Defence barrister Tim James Matthews informed the court that his client had been ‘held in isolation’ since April of this year. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, presiding over the case, granted Mr Matthews' request for additional time to serve a defence statement.
Evidential Arrangements for Witnesses
The judge also authorised prosecutors to present evidence from the involved prison officers through video-recorded interviews, rather than requiring them to give testimony in person. This measure was implemented ‘to enable the witnesses to give their best evidence’ under the circumstances.
A further preliminary hearing has been scheduled for April, with a full trial set to commence in January of the following year.
New Charges and Alleged Weapons
Abedi now faces a series of serious new charges, including three separate counts of attempted murder relating to three different prison officers. He is also charged with one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a fourth officer, with all alleged incidents occurring on April 12 of this year.
Furthermore, he is accused of the unauthorised possession of several makeshift knives, which he is alleged to have crafted from metal cooking trays within the prison environment.
Details of the Alleged Attack
The incident reportedly unfolded after Abedi emerged from a kitchen area within the separation unit at category-A HMP Frankland. He is alleged to have been carrying a pan of hot oil, which he poured over one officer before stabbing the same individual in the neck with a homemade knife.
Three additional officers who came to their colleague's aid were also attacked during the altercation. Two of these officers required surgical intervention for their injuries, while another sustained a broken finger.
Context of the Manchester Arena Atrocity
The Manchester Arena attack remains one of the most devastating terrorist incidents on British soil, resulting in the deaths of 22 people aged between eight and 51 years old. A further 264 individuals suffered physical injuries, with an additional 670 people experiencing significant psychological trauma in the aftermath.
During the original trial, the Old Bailey heard that the Abedi brothers had spent ‘months’ meticulously planning the explosion, with a ‘shared goal [to] kill, maim and injure as many people as possible’.
Judicial Remarks on Culpability
Passing sentence for the bombing offences, Mr Justice Jeremy Barker stated that the brothers were ‘equally culpable’ for the murders committed. ‘Although Salman Abedi was directly responsible, it was clear the defendant took an integral part in the planning,’ the judge remarked.
He described the crimes as ‘atrocious crimes, large in their scale, deadly in their intent, and appalling in their consequences’. The judge added that had Hashem Abedi been 21 years or older at the time of the offence, he would have imposed a whole-life order, meaning the defendant would never be considered for parole and would die in prison.
