United Kingdom creates jihadi jails for extremist prisoners

Britain's first prison created to separate terrorists and extremists from other inmates is now operational, the government has said.

Britain is set to move its most unsafe Islamic extremists into special "jihadi jails" within prisons to crack down on radicalization behind bars.

It is thought that extremist preacher Anjem Choudary and Michael Adebolajo, who murdered soldier Lee Rigby in 2013, could be part of the group.

Convicts suspected of planning terrorism or posing a risk to national security are now housed in a separate centre within HMP Frankland in Durham.

Imprisoned hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been moved to a newly created high-security wing for the most unsafe terror suspects.

The "prison within a prison" is situated at HMP Frankland in Durham and is meant to stop them influencing other inmates.

Those seeking to influence others to commit terrorist crimes, or whose extremist views are purposely undermining good order and security in the prison estate, may also be sent to the centres. More than 4,500 front line prison officers received counter-extremism training to be able to identify and stop the spread of radical ideologies.

The Ministry of Justice announced on Thursday that it has populated a "separation centre" within a prison in County Durham, England.

Adebolajo, who was being held at HMP Frankland ahead of the separation centre being created, was described as spending "most of his waking hours preaching his distorted form of Islam to anyone who will listen", according to the Daily Mirror.

The new centre at HMP Frankland was one of the main recommendations of a review which found evidence of charismatic prisoners acting as self-styled emirs to radicalise other inmates.

Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah said the new unit aims to defeat extremism "wherever it's found".

The review also highlighted incidents of unsupervised collective worship, intimidation of prison imams and the availability of extremist literature.

It is hoped that by moving up to 28 extremists to the centres, it will prevent them from preying on fellow inmates.