Exposed: ‘Untouchable’ Muslim prison ‘Brotherhood’ and their ‘black book hit-list’

A “brotherhood” of Muslim gangs has established a stranglehold of Britain’s highest security prisons, the Sunday Express can today reveal.

Extremist preachers Anjem Chowdary and Abu Qatada, whose hateful sermons encouraged attacks like the 7/7 London bombings, were allegedly among the first jailhouse leaders, known as “emirs”.

It is claimed they used incarceration as an opportunity to recruit vulnerable young men and groom them for violence.

With the number of Muslim inmates having risen from about 8% of the total population in 2002 to 18% last year, new prisoners in some jails have been told to “convert or get hurt”, according to a 2023 government report.

Official statistics have also shown around one in five white prisoners now identify as a follower of Islam.

Paedophiles and serial killers, including Levi Bellfield, who would not be welcomed by criminal gangs, are among those who have embraced the faith, which insiders say guaranteed protection from other inmates.

As well as violently defending its followers, this newspaper has learned from former inmates and prison officers how The Brotherhood uses a so-called “black book” hitlist to take out opponents.

By using contraband phones, Muslim gangs have shared the names of enemies to attack, with targets said to include anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson and the leaders of white prison gangs like Liverpudlian gangsters Richard Caswell or Chris Ashton.

“A gang member from London went into HMP Whitemoor (in Kent) and had a fight with a Muslim inmate. He was properly well-connected and the guy he beat up was a no one,” an ex-prisoner who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.

“But when The Brotherhood found out and put the gang member in the black book, within days his face had been slashed.

“Obviously he never reported it and most people don’t. In prison the black book is like gravity, it’s there, you feel and see what it does, but you ask most prisoners to explain it or give you evidence and they can’t.”

But The Brotherhood has struggled to carry out hits in jails in the North of England, which are still dominated by white criminal gangs.

“There are some places Muslim prisoners really don’t want to go like HMP Doncaster and Frankland in Durham, which are dominated by white gangs,” the inmate continued.

“The Brotherhood has no influence there, so the governors will move Muslims to those jails they think are ring leaders.

“Where they are the strongest is down South. The Brotherhood’s power is most extreme in places like Swaleside (in Kent), Highpoint (in Suffolk) and Long Lartin (in Worcestershire).”

He added: “But the worst I know of is HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. I knew one guy who spent his entire time there ‘riding the block’, which meant he didn’t go out into the main communal areas with the general population because he was Christian and knew he’d be targeted.

“He said he wasn’t alone and there were lots of other guys who isolated themselves for months because of their faith.”

There were 10 serious assaults a day and a member of staff was attacked every hour on average across the prison system, according to the most recent Ministry of Justice statistics, with the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) warning that overcrowding had made “gang warfare rife.”

Former Governor Ian Acheson also warned that there had been oversights that had enabled emirs, including the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi, to mastermind terror-related violence against staff in the past five years.

Caged for his role in the vile murder of children at an Ariana Grande concert, Abedi led a vicious three-man attack on an officer at HMP Belmarsh in May 2020 alongside Parsons Green bomber Ahmed Hassan and ISIS-follower Muhammed Saeed.

It came mere months after Brusthom Ziamani, jailed for plotting to behead a British soldier, and convert Baz Hockton attempted to murder an officer in HMP Whitemoor with a knife.

“Terrorist risk behaviour in Islamists is still frequently underplayed or misdiagnosed by front line staff and managers who fear allegations of racism,” Acheson told the Express.

The Brotherhood’s ascent to power has also benefited grooming gang prisoners who insiders say were welcomed into prayer groups and defended by religious zealots.

“Historically, sex offenders are at the bottom of the pile,” a different former inmate added, “the armed robber and gangster were at the top of the hierarchy.

“But since 2005 when people convicted of terrorism offences started to filter into the system, the power balance changed.

“If you convert to Islam all your previous sins are washed away. That idea was used by the gangs to increase their numbers and a lot of people convicted of sex offences will convert for protection. That’s why it’s easier now for sex offenders in the prison system.”

Sicarius McGrath, who reverted to Islam whilst in prison, said he refused to stand next to a paedophile grooming gang member who attended the prison prayer group.

“There will be wrong-uns who will revert to Islam for protection from the Muslim brothers,” he said, “unfortunately, we don’t know what’s in their heart and if they’re sincere and genuine.”

“People are quick to criticise Muslim gangs within prisons, But I think it’s important to say that the Muslims in prison protect a lot more people in general than the prison staff. They will keep order in some of these places, without Muslim gangs within the prisons, there would be a lot more violence and mayhem within prisons.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Extremist gang activity is not tolerated in prisons and staff act swiftly to clamp down on threatening behaviour regardless of cultural or religious sensitivities.

“Following the report by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in 2022, we carried out our own review of faith-based gangs and have since improved training to help staff identify and disrupt their activity.”