Saturday, May 05, 2007

guards fight 'terror lags

FOUR hero prison guards were taken to hospital after a vicious battle with Muslim terror suspects in a top-security jail.

Violence erupted at Belmarsh when one officer tried to remove an inmate’s laptop.

At the height of the five-minute clash four prisoners were punching and kicking furiously.

Other terror suspects in the South East London prison’s high-security unit were baying for blood from the sidelines.

The other three officers rushed to help their colleague — then more staff courageously stepped in to quell the fighting.

Last night governor Claudia Sturt praised their bravery.

She said: “It is another instance of ordinary people in jail doing an extraordinary job extraordinarily well. I am really proud of the bravery displayed by my staff, whose courageous response brought this incident to an end quickly.
An insider added: “It was absolutely full-on in there. The prisoners involved were going for it.

“The staff were up against some heavy-duty individuals, who were really trying to let rip. There were suspects fighting while others were urging them on.

“But for the prompt action of the staff, the situation could have turned very ugly indeed.”

One guard was left badly dazed with head injuries. Three others were bleeding from face wounds, including a fractured cheekbone.

Prison medics went with them to hospital by ambulance.

Belmarsh holds a number of prisoners awaiting trial on terror charges — including conspiracy to murder.

Convicted inmates there include al-Qaeda fertiliser bomb plotter Omar Khyam, 25, dirty bomber Dhiren Barot, 34, and hook-handed hate cleric Abu Hamza, 48 — jailed for inciting murder.

The suspect at the centre of the clash was tampering with the laptop in breach of strict rules.

He would not hand it over and tried to hide what he was doing.

Laptops are supplied to help prisoners remanded on terror charges prepare for their trials. But they are not allowed to connect to the internet or send emails.

The insider said: “Experts will be checking the computer.” The suspects in the attacks cannot be named for legal reasons.

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