Hostage attack at maximum security prison

A male warder at HMP Full Sutton, near York, was left with a broken cheekbone after being seized by three male prisoners, while a female colleague was injured as she attempted to help him.

The North East Counter Terrorism Unit, based in Leeds, has been brought in to investigate the attack at the prison, which holds some of the country’s most dangerous criminals.

The unit, set up in 2007, is one of five teams “designed to strengthen the UK’s response to the threat of terrorism”, according to police. Specialist teams were yesterday searching the prison for evidence to assist the inquiry.

The incident on Sunday is reported to have been triggered by a request for inmates to pray for the murdered soldier Lee Rigby, though investigators believe the two are not directly linked.

Fierce protests from differing factions on the streets of London, attacks on mosques and vandalism against war memorials were triggered by last week’s murder of Drummer Rigby, who married the mother of his two-year-old son in West Yorkshire.

One of the men shot by police in the wake of the murder, Michael Adebowale, 22, was yesterday discharged from hospital and taken into police custody. He and Michael Adebolajo, 28, have been arrested on suspicion of murder, with Adebowale further arrested on suspicion of the attempted murder of a police officer.

It came as Adebolajo’s family expressed their “profound shame and distress” and sent their “heartfelt condolence” to Drummer Rigby’s family.

The three prisoners involved in Sunday’s attack at Full Sutton, two aged 25 and one aged 26, are all Muslim and were being held over violent crime offences.

Earlier this year an inspector’s report highlighted a growing resentment among Muslim inmates at the prison, due to perceived persecution by staff and other inmates because of their beliefs.

Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said the officer was “forcibly taken hostage” at 4.25pm on Sunday. A second officer tried to come to his aid and received cuts to her arm. Members of the prison’s National Tactical Response Group rushed to the scene and the officer was released at 8.40pm.

Mr Spurr said: “The officer taken hostage suffered a broken cheekbone and a number of wounds to his face and neck at the beginning of the incident. Both members were treated in hospital.

“This was a serious incident and my first thought is with the officer who was taken hostage – we will do all we can to help him recover.”

Steve Gillan of the Prison Officers’ Association said: “This was a disgraceful attack on prison officers that should be condemned.”

A statement by North East CTU said: “This is a detailed investigation and it will take time to establish the full details.”

Prison officials issued statements yesterday denying reports the male prison officer was targeted because he is a former serviceman. They also denied reports that Parviz Khan, an al-Qaeda fanatic jailed for life for masterminding a plot to kidnap and behead a British Muslim soldier, was involved in the attack and said he is not an inmate at the prison.

Meanwhile, two men have been remanded in custody to appear before a crown court after the petrol-bombing of a mosque. Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre was attacked for the second time in three days on Sunday. Stuart Harness, 33, and Gavin Humphries, 37, both of Grimsby, appeared at magistrates’ court yesterday charged with arson with intent to endanger life.