Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, has pleaded not guilty to attempting to murder three prison officers in an attack with hot oil and makeshift weapons. The 28-year-old appeared at the Old Bailey via video link from HMP Belmarsh on Friday.
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC stated the incident had a terrorist connection and occurred during a cooking session at HMP Frankland in County Durham on 12 April this year. Abedi allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” twice while attacking officers with hot oil and homemade weapons. A fourth officer was also assaulted.
Abedi was convicted in 2020 for assisting his brother Salman Abedi in the Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 22 people in May 2017. He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 55 years, the longest ever imposed by a British court.
Appearing without legal representation by his own choice, Abedi pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and one count of actual bodily harm. When asked by Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb if he wished to be represented, he replied: “Yeah, basically I don’t want to attend anyway. That’s why.”
The trial is scheduled to begin on 18 January 2027, with a provisional hearing set for 30 January 2026. Abedi was remanded into custody.
