Muslim inmate tried to kill five prison officers and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’, court hears
A Muslim inmate allegedly tried to kill five “kuffar” prison officers and shouted “Allahu Akbar” before one of the attacks, a court heard.
Aklakur Rahman, 38, is accused of repeatedly attacking staff at HMP Swaleside in Kent and Belmarsh, a high-security prison in south London, between September and October 2022.
He has been charged with 20 offences, including five of attempted murder and six attempted assaults on an emergency worker.
Rahman, who is originally from Ipswich, used homemade weapons for the attack, including a sharpened plastic spoon, the court heard.
Alistair Richardson, prosecuting, told jurors that Rahman viewed the prison officers as “kuffar” – a derogatory term for non-Muslims.
Mr Richardson said: “This highly dangerous man does not leave it to anybody else to work out what he is doing. He has repeatedly said that he wants to kill prison officers. Both before the attacks, at the time he attacks, and afterwards.”
Fears defendant ‘trying to radicalise inmates’
At the time of the alleged offences, the defendant was serving a life sentence for three earlier attempted murders in the summer of 2017, the jury heard.
On September 23 2022, Rahman was being detained in the high-security segregation unit at HMP Swaleside over concerns he was trying to radicalise other inmates to “extreme versions of Islam”, the court was told.
He was being escorted to a shower when he allegedly punched officer Lee Lassman in the face, shouting “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing officer Ludovic Barbier in the forehead with a pen.
As he was restrained, the defendant allegedly continued to shout, stamp, kick and try to bite officers, jurors were told.
He is accused of then going on to punch officer Dale Marsden in the stomach and stamp on officer Ross Greig’s foot after they went to help their colleagues.
The following day, Mr Lassman carried out a welfare check and found Rahman standing naked in his cell holding a three inch piece of sharpened plastic, jurors heard.
During an attempt to retrieve the weapon, the defendant tried to stab Simon Lowman, another officer, in the neck, it was alleged.
It is alleged that the next day Rahman made a throat-cutting motion with an improvised weapon and shouted: “I’m going to put this in your eye.”
Inmate ‘cut two officers’ necks’
Rahman was then moved to Belmarsh prison where he allegedly tried to kill prison officers Elizabeth Franklin, John Clark and Robert Salter on October 23 2022, the court was told.
The officers had gone to his cell to escort him to get his lunch when the defendant threw his bin at two of them and ran towards Ms Franklin shouting “death to kuffar” and stabbing at her head and neck.
The defendant also cut the other two officers’ necks during attempts to restrain him, jurors were told.
On being ordered to open his hand, the defendant was seen with the bottom of a plastic spoon that had been sharpened, the court heard.
A senior officer who ran to see what was going on allegedly heard Rahman shout: “I’ll kill you all. Die kuffars,” while still holding a weapon in his hand.
In a note, the defendant later explained he was angry with the prison officers who he felt were mocking him, jurors were told.
Rahman said in a statement in a police interview that he did not intend to kill anyone, that he had been trying to provoke the officers, and that his mental health was deteriorating.
The defendant has denied the charges against him. The Old Bailey trial before Mrs Justice McGowan continues.