Manchester Arena attacker’s brother and Parsons Green bomber refuse to attend court over prison guard attack

Hashem Abedi and Ahmed Hassan allegedly had to be ‘pulled off’ officer at HMP Belmarsh

(Met Police)

The Manchester Arena bomber’s brother and Parsons Green attacker have refused to leave their prison cells to attend a hearing and could be physically forced to attend court.

Hashem Abedi, whose brother Salman murdered 22 victims following an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, and Hassan, who partially detonated a bomb on the London Underground later that year, are charged with attacking a prison officer.

The pair had to be “pulled off” Paul Edwards as they attacked him at HMP Belmarsh, southeast London, the court heard.

They are accused alongside a third terror offender, Muhammed Saeed, of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Prosecutor Nicholas Alexander told the court the three defendants were out of their cells on 11 May last year, when they entered an office and assaulted Mr Edwards as he sat at a desk.

Read more:

• Manchester attacker’s brother and Parsons Green bomber charged with attacking prison guard
• Brother of Manchester Arena bomber jailed for life with 55-year minimum term over murder of 22 victims
• Parsons Green bomber Ahmed Hassan jailed for life with minimum term of 34 years for terror attack

Mr Edwards received cuts to his head and bruising, the court heard, and has ongoing hearing problems as a result of the attack.

All three defendants were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video-link from high-security HMP Frankland on Wednesday.

But Abedi and Hassan did not show on the link. Asked by district judge Tan Ikram whether Abedi and Hassan were refusing to attend the hearing, an unnamed prison officer replied: “They're refusing to come down to this location, they are in their cells on the wings.”

He added: “They've not made any formal representation, they just insisted they're not going to attend in any shape or form, sir.”

The judge relisted the hearing for Thursday, which will be Abedi’s 24th birthday, for pleas to be heard.

He told the prison officer: “I'm not sure if you will get the opportunity to speak to the two defendants but if you are, they are advised to attend – one of the powers the court has is the use of force.”

Saeed, originally from Old Trafford in Manchester and currently awaiting sentence for another matter, appeared via video link from high-security HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire wearing a red jumper.

He spoke to confirm his identity and to enter a not guilty plea, and was remanded in custody until 5 May.

Additional reporting by PA