Manchester Arena bomb plotter denies ‘terror-related’ attack on prison officers

Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi has pleaded not guilty to carrying out “terrorist” attacks on prison officers at a maximum security jail with hot cooking oil and makeshift weapons.

The 28-year-old defendant appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday by videolink from Belmarsh top security jail in south London flanked by four prison officers.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC said the case had a terrorist connection.

Outlining the allegations, she said: “This case concerns an incident on April 12 2025 at HMP Frankland when Mr Abedi was being detained.

“During the course of a session where he was permitted to use cooking equipment he attacked and attempted to murder three prison officers using hot oil and makeshift weapons he had constructed himself. He also assaulted a fourth prison officer.”

The court was told that during the attack, Abedi shouted out “Allahu akbar” twice.

Ms Ledward said there was no indication the defendant had any previous hostility or grievance towards the victims.

She alleged the defendant held an extremist mindset – “not least his conviction in 2020 in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing”.

Abedi went on to plead not guilty to the attempted murders of prison officers Paul Crampton, Gary Speight, and Catherine Herbert.

He denied assaulting a fourth prison officer, Craig Thompson, occasioning him actual bodily harm.

He pleaded not guilty to possession of a bladed or sharply pointed article, namely a knife, inside HMP Frankland in County Durham on April 12.

Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said Abedi’s trial would take place from January 18 2027 and go on for two to three weeks.

She ordered him to attend his next hearing on January 30 2026.

Abedi was not represented by a lawyer in court, which Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb observed was his choice.

Asked if he wanted to be represented, Abedi said: “Yeah, basically I don’t want to attend anyway. That’s why.”

The defendant was remanded into custody.

Abedi was convicted of assisting with the Manchester terror plot, in which his brother, suicide bomber Salman Abedi, killed 22 people by detonating a homemade rucksack bomb among a crowd of concert-goers in May 2017.

He was jailed for life with a record-breaking 55-year minimum term in August 2020.