UK: Muslim prisoners exempted from dog searches at prison where guards were attacked

Image: Jihad Watch

Following the alleged stabbing of several prison guards by the Manchester Arena terrorist, the leader of the largest union for prison officers disclosed that the facility was prohibited from using sniffer dogs to search Muslim inmates.

Earlier this month, four prison officers at His Majesty’s Prison Frankland were injured with boiling oil and a makeshift weapon. Hashem Abedi, who was convicted for assisting his brother in the bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester that killed 22 people and injured over a thousand, was reportedly the attacker.

On Sunday, Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the Prison Officers’ Association, stated that Abedi and other Islamist inmates at Frankland were exempt from K-9 searches by order of the prison's management committee, which sided with Muslim prisoners who argued that such contact with dogs conflicted with their religious beliefs.

"When the unit first opened, every prisoner was thoroughly searched when they entered and left the unit, and sometimes dogs were used," Fairhurst told The Sun.

"The prisoners objected, claiming it conflicted with their faith. The management committee sided with the prisoners and decided to remove the dogs from the searches."

“We’re appeasing these prisoners and pandering to them. Why? Why are we so focused on avoiding upsetting prisoners, especially terrorist inmates, whose goal is to murder prison officers?”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick echoed this criticism, stating: “It’s shameful if HMP Frankland has yielded to Islamist prisoners and allowed them to bypass security checks.

“This could allow Islamist gangs to dominate prison wings nationwide. Officers shouldn’t fear being accused of racism for stepping in to restore order and control from radical Islamist prisoners.”

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)