More terror prisoners moved to softer jails
THE number of terrorists kept in lower category jails has soared by 170 per cent in the past five years – sparking fears of more jihadi-style attacks behind bars.
The revelation has prompted claims the Government is not taking the problem of Islamist radicalisation inside prisons seriously enough.
It follows reports of prisoners posing as “emirs” – or leaders – forcing inmates to convert to their brand of Islam, holding self-styled Sharia courts, intimidating imams and handing out punishment beatings.
It also coincides with a spate of terror attacks on staff as critics call for a review of how Islamist inmates are managed.
In February, Britain’s first acid killer Xeneral Imiuru, also known as Webster, 21, launched what he claimed to be a jihadi terror attack on guards inside category B HMP Winchester in Hampshire.
Two men have also been arrested over an alleged attack on staff using improvised bladed weapons at the maximum security category A HMP Whitemoor, Cambs.
Figures released to the Sunday Express under a Freedom of Information request show 84 inmates either convicted or suspected of
Islamist or far-right terrorism are being held in medium security jails, rather than maximum security category A prisons.
That includes 28 inmates convicted or charged with terror offences actually being held in category C jails. These are prisons judged as suitable for inmates who “cannot be trusted in open conditions but are considered to be prisoners who are unlikely to make a determined escape attempt”.
A further 56 inmates are being held in category B institutions for those who“do not need to be held in the highest security conditions”.
In comparison, figures from 2015 show 26 terror inmates were being held in category C prisons with a further five in category B.
Rangzieb Ahmed, considered to be al-qaeda’s most senior operative in the UK, is being held in category C HMP Stocken in Rutland, a former training facility, after being recently moved from HMP Wymott in Lancashire in the same category.
Reports have stated he is being prepared for release after completing a minimum term of 10 years in late 2018, meaning he is now eligible for parole from a life sentence, handed down in December 2008.
Last night critics called for more to be done to protect prison staff and the public from further terror attacks by halting the spread of Islamist fundamentalism in jails.
Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, said: “All terrorist prisoners are dangerous and should be held at the highest appropriate level of security.”
Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association, added: “We are calling for a fundamental review of how we manage terrorist offenders, so we can be sure that staff are not at risk when dealing with this cohort and the public are not at risk when they are eventually released.
“The POA has no input into the categorisation of terrorist offenders and hopes that those offenders in this category have been fully riskassessed and pose no threat to staff or the general public.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman, said: “Every terror offender is strictly and regularly assessed to make sure they are in the right prison category, while our new sentencing laws will see the most serious spending longer behind bars.”