Hashem Abedi prison attack investigation continues

Hashem Abedi was moved to a different prison after the attack in April

An investigation into an attack on prison guards by the Manchester Arena suicide bomber's brother is continuing, with no arrests or charges brought, counter terrorism police have confirmed.

Hashem Abedi threw hot cooking oil and stabbed three prison officers with improvised blades at high security HMP Frankland in County Durham in April.

Abedi was detained by prison staff and relocated following the incident.

Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTPNE) told the BBC that officers were still working with police and the prison to "thoroughly investigate" what happened.

"Our priorities remain to establish the facts, explore any potential motivation, and to secure justice for the victims," it added.

The attack happened in the jail's Separation Centre, which holds fewer than 10 inmates and is used to house prisoners regarded as the most dangerous and extremist.

Abedi was jailed for life in 2020 for helping his brother carry out the 2017 bombing, which killed 22 people at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

He was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years in jail.

A CTPNE spokesperson previously said that "a prisoner has approached and thrown hot oil at prison officers within the Separation Centre".

"It is believed the prisoner has then used improvised bladed weapons to assault staff," they added.

Abedi was moved to Frankland after attacking prison officers at London's high-security Belmarsh jail in 2020, for which three years and 10 months was added to his sentence.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) previously said there would be a full, independent review into the incident, which has prompted criticism from survivors and the families of victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.