A prisoner has been charged with an attack on a jailed al Qaeda terrorist. The 22-year-old inmate is accused of assaulting Dhiren Barot, the leader of a British-based terrorist cell that plotted to murder thousands of people with dirty bombs.Barot's lawyer has claimed the convicted terrorist had boiling oil thrown over him during the attack in the high security Frankland Prison in County Durham. The unnamed prisoner faces charges of wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm following the incident on July 6. He will appear in court on October 23.
After the alleged attack, which left Barot, 35, scarred for life, a news blackout was imposed to protect medical staff from possible attack while he was treated at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary. Barot was sentenced to life, with a minimum term of 30 years, for planning to plant radioactive, chemical or toxic gas bombs and pack limousines with nails and explosives in the UK and America. He was arrested in August 2004 and accused of conspiracy to murder. He admitted planning to bomb several targets including the New York Stock Exchange, the International Monetary Fund HQ, and the World Bank.
Barot, who recruited other bomb plotters, was sentenced to life in prison last November. It was recommended he serve 40 years but that was cut to 30 years on appeal in May.