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From Cells to Chaos: How the Muslim Brotherhood Turned UK Prisons into a Battleground


In Western prison cells, bars cannot contain the “fury of hatred” carried by followers and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood. This group, long schooled in “empowerment through chaos,” has shown no hesitation in turning even the most controlled environments into arenas of violent disorder.

British prisons have become a case in point. Detention units are no longer fortresses isolating danger, but rather lifelines through which the Brotherhood and its extremist affiliates breathe and reorganize within the body of the state itself.

What has the Brotherhood done exactly?

Multiple government reports have warned about the Brotherhood and “Islamist gangs” taking control of prison wings and radicalizing other inmates.

These warnings were reignited after a prison officer at Long Lartin Prison in Worcestershire was seriously injured when a violent inmate stabbed him using a knife allegedly smuggled into the high-security prison via drone.

According to The Telegraph, the knife used was delivered by drone into a prison known for housing terrorists and murderers.

The report added that organized crime groups have effectively set up an “Amazon Prime service for inmates,” where drones deliver weapons directly to cell windows.

Last month, Hashem Abedi—the Manchester Arena bomber serving a life sentence for killing 22 people—attacked three officers in a separate unit at the high-security Frankland Prison in County Durham.

Described as an “Islamist extremist” by The Telegraph, Abedi poured hot cooking oil on the officers and stabbed them with two makeshift knives crafted from kitchen trays.

These events led the UK’s shadow justice minister to propose the creation of secure weapons stores in high-security prisons, warning: “Islamist gangs and violent inmates are out of control in our prisons.”

His recommendations include arming elite prison teams in Category A prisons with tasers, stun grenades, and baton rounds, along with issuing high-collar stab-resistant vests.

Robert Jenrick, who issued the proposals, also suggested that specialist officers should be granted access to firearms under exceptional circumstances. These measures were based on a rapid review by Professor Ian Acheson, a respected former prison governor and adviser on prison extremism.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has already ordered a review into the distribution of stab vests and tasers for frontline officers, and the suspension of kitchen access for Islamist terrorist inmates in segregation units.

Jenrick warned: “This is a national security emergency. There is a very real risk that a prison officer could be kidnapped or killed on duty, or that a terrorist attack could be launched from within.”

He added that the three existing separation centers—of which only two are operational—must be expanded. These “prisons within prisons” can house up to 28 Islamist or other terrorists, keeping them from radicalizing fellow inmates and allowing for closer surveillance.

Currently, 257 inmates are incarcerated for terrorist offenses—two-thirds are Islamists, and 27% are neo-fascists.

Jenrick also urged restricting access to kitchens and appliances such as kettles, referencing the recent attack by Axel Rudakobana, who allegedly poured boiling water on an officer at Belmarsh Prison.

Additional proposals include:

He also called for repealing a legal ruling that allows prisoners in segregation to challenge their confinement, and for amending the law to prevent terrorists from claiming compensation under human rights laws.

Professor Acheson emphasized: “The threat to staff safety has become intolerable. In many prisons, control has shifted from the state to mere containment—at the cost of rising assaults and collapsed rehabilitation programs.”

Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, backed the call for tasers and non-lethal tools, noting that firearm support agreements exist with police chiefs if necessary.

A Ministry of Justice source blamed the previous government, saying only 500 cells were added while 1,600 were closed over 14 years, triggering a crisis and a wave of staff resignations.

However, some MoJ officials warned that introducing firearms may increase risk to staff. The Minister has already launched a review of separation centers, potentially leading to expansion and stricter segregation of dangerous prisoners.

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