Britain’s prisons are a breeding ground for Islamist terror

Was Reading terrorist Khairi Saadallah radicalised behind bars? What we do know is that locking Saadallah in HMP Bullingdon to develop a ‘close’ relationship with radical cleric Omar Brooks was an extraordinary lapse in operational security. Only 16 days after leaving the prison, the violent, troubled and combat experienced Saadallah launched his murderous attack in Reading. At the very least, it is clear that prison served little purpose in stopping him.

Once again, this raises the question of whether Britain’s jails are a breeding ground for radicalisation. When one of this country’s most notorious apologists for terrorism Anjem Choudary was locked up five years ago, there was much speculation as to how he could be prevented from dripping poison into the ears of those locked up alongside him. It is likely that Choudary was confined for at least some of his sentence in a separation unit, a repurposed wing of a High Security prison designed to incapacitate offenders who pose a threat to national security.