Overview

• Dr Hannah Bennett’s research shows Islamist extremists are instructing organised criminals on bomb construction in exchange for lessons in money laundering, dark-web navigation and weapons procurement.
• Investigators describe certain facilities as ‘black-hole’ prisons where violence, corruption and weak oversight allow ideologically driven inmates to mingle freely with gang members.
• High-profile assaults by inmates such as Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi in April and Southport killer Axel Rudakubana in May have underscored the security breakdown inside these units.
• Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick and former prison governors are demanding the Ministry of Justice implement a comprehensive overhaul of prison intelligence, staff training and risk assessments.
• The report urges the adoption of a clear operational threat definition and a standardized tool to identify and secure jails at highest risk of crime–terror collaboration.