THE UK government said Wednesday (27) it will clamp down on "no-go" areas in jails carved out by extremist Islamist inmates who have been imposing Sharia law including floggings on other prisoners.
Justice secretary Dominic Raab accepted the findings of an official investigation, which said that other prisoners were at risk of being radicalised by extremists enjoying an overly tolerant regime in jails.
The review was commissioned after a spate of high-profile attacks, including one on London Bridge in 2019 when Usman Khan, a convicted terrorist who was on temporary release, stabbed two people to death.
Khairi Saadallah was given a whole-life sentence last year for murdering three men in a park in Reading, west of London, after he was befriended by a radical preacher while serving an earlier prison term.
"Prisons must not be allowed to become a second opportunity for committed terrorists whose attack plans are thwarted in the community," said Jonathan Hall, the government's reviewer of terror legislation.
FILE PHOTO: Floral tributes are left for Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, who were killed in a terror attack, on December 2, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Hall's investigation said Islamist radicals in jails had taken control of wings, creating Sharia courts to mete out punishments and barring non-Muslim guards from Friday prayers.
They have also separated out spaces in "kitchens and no-go areas" on the grounds that non-Muslims cannot handle halal food, creating "a regime within a regime", Raab said on LBC radio.
Prison staff were worried about responding for fear of being accused of racism, he acknowledged, vowing legal changes to protect guards and new investment to isolate the most dangerous radicals.
UK jails are housing a record 200 convicted terrorists, with another 200 who have terrorist links.
There are 28 places to sequester the most hardened radicals, but only nine are in use now, Raab said, blaming "crazy" legal challenges that isolation breached extremists' human rights.
"We are going to take a more decisive approach in our prisons, not allowing cultural and religious sensitivities to deter us from nipping in the bud early signs of terrorist risk," he said.
(AFP)
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)