Khairi Saadallah sought out an extremist in jail before stabbing three men to death on his release last year. AFP
Khairi Saadallah sought out an extremist in jail before stabbing three men to death on his release last year. AFP
Khairi Saadallah sought out an extremist in jail before stabbing three men to death on his release last year. AFP
Khairi Saadallah sought out an extremist in jail before stabbing three men to death on his release last year. AFP

Most dangerous UK terrorists 'entrenched' at prison's isolation unit


Paul Peachey
  • English
  • Arabic

Independent inspectors questioned the effectiveness of the British prison unit holding terrorists.

From 2018 to 2019, Frankland Prison in north-east England held five of the country’s most dangerous extremists.

They lived in isolation, away from the rest of the jail population, in a high-security separation unit.

Three such units were planned, intended to hold up to 28 inmates regarded as a radicalisation risk to other prisoners.

But the unit at Frankland is the only one functioning and monitors spoke of prisoners refusing to obey the regime in the violent and claustrophobic unit, according to a new report.

“Is the separation centre, initially conceived to be one of several, now viable in the successful management of these prisoners?” said the most recent annual report of the lay Independent Monitoring Board for Frankland.

“Patterns of behaviour seem to have become entrenched, with concerted non-co-operation with the regime offered, and, worryingly, there has been a serious assault on a member of staff,” it said.

Separation units were set up on the basis of a report in 2016 by former prison governor Ian Acheson into extremism in prisons.

A court this month heard how Khairi Saadallah, 26, who murdered three men in a knife attack last year, sought the company of prominent extremist preacher Omar Brooks while serving a previous sentence.

Brooks was connected to the banned terrorist organisation Al Muhajiroun, which was linked to helping dozens of young Britons travel to Syria to join ISIS.

The government said the units would be for those who “seek to poison the minds of others”, but Frankland is now the only such centre operating.

A report on their effectiveness commissioned by the government in 2019 concluded that moving some of the most influential extremists to separation units may have reduced disruption among other prisoners.

But it said those men also stopped taking part in rehabilitation work in the specialist centres, which meant they could not be reintegrated into the mainstream population.

It said officials need to consider whether they were “intended as a short-term measure to disrupt the immediate influence of a prisoner or whether they are viewed as a long-term location”.

The UK's justice ministry declined to say how many people are held in the Frankland separation unit but said that most extremists could be managed within the mainstream prison population.

Terrorists accounted for 243 prisoners in Britain in July 2020, an increase of 24 compared with the previous year, with two thirds of them holding extreme Islamist views.

“These centres stop the most influential extremists from spreading their poisonous ideology and it would defeat the object if we put in offenders who can be managed safely elsewhere,” a justice department representative said.

if you go

The flights

Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.

The tour

Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.

Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club race card

5pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
5.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic (PA) Prestige; Dh110,000; 1,400m
6pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship (PA) Listed; Dh180,000; 1,600m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 2,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh100,000; 2,400m

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
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  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
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  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

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The Bio

Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride

She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years

Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves

She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in

Pakistan v New Zealand Test series

Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza

New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner

Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets