Dangerous inmates in jail where prison officers were stabbed 'had access to knives'

Inmates in the prison where three guards were allegedly attacked by the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber were allowed in a kitchen with knives despite being assessed as being so dangerous they should be isolated from other prisoners, according to claims by a union official.

- Vikram Dodd

The prime suspect for the attack in HMP Frankland, County Durham, is Hashem Abedi, 28, the brother of the Manchester Arena suicide bomber, Salman Abedi. A sharp weapon fashioned out of metal was used during the sustained attack, as well as cooking fat. One officer suffered third-degree burns.

The government has since announced measures to increase safety in the facility, including banning some of the most dangerous offenders from the cooking area.

Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers' association (POA), said staff were furious, and many had been traumatised by the injuries their colleagues had suffered.

He said inmates had access to meals in keeping with their dietary requirements, and should not have had access to a kitchen where dangerous utensils were stored. Fairhurst said: "You are giving them the resources to fashion weapons and attack staff. Especially the ideological prisoners, who will not change."