Manchester Arena bomb plotter refuses to appear in court

Manchester Arena bombmaker Hashem Abedi has refused to leave his cell to appear in court accused of attempting to murder three prison officers in an alleged terrorist attack.

Abedi, 28, is serving a life sentence for helping his suicide bomber brother murder 22 people in the atrocity in 2017.

Abedi was due to make his first appearance earlier at Westminster Magistrates’ Court by video link from prison.

Three of the prison officers – two men and a woman – were taken to hospital, two with stab wounds, after the attack at HMP Frankland in County Durham.

Prosecutors said they were treating the offences as having a terrorist motivation.

He was charged with three counts of attempted murder, one of assault causing actual bodily harm, and one of possessing a knife.

But the court heard he has refused to leave his cell at HMP Belmarsh in London, and that he has refused legal representation.

The chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said: “I have no power to deal with him in his absence” and adjourned the hearing until 25 September.

He told the court he would ensure the defendant attends the next hearing, adding: “I will order that he is physically produced, but if that is not possible, it will be a prison videolink.”

In addition to allegedly using makeshift blades, Abedi was also accused of throwing boiling hot liquid at officers during the attack.

At the time of the incident, the Prison Officers Association said the staff sustained life-threatening injuries including burns, scalds and stab wounds in an “unprovoked” and “vicious” attack.

Abedi was convicted of assisting his brother Salman Abedi with the Manchester terror plot which killed 22 people ad injured hundreds more after an Ariana Grande concert.

He was jailed for life with a 55-year minimum term in August 2020.