Barot

London, July 22: Dhiren Barot, the Hindu-turned-Islamic extremist, appears to have received “rough justice” from fellow prisoners who scalded him badly.

The 35-year-old, who is serving a life sentence, was taken for specialist treatment at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary from Frankland Prison, Durham, where he was attacked by inmates who clearly considered his transgressions were unacceptable even by their unexacting standards.

It is normal for the prison service to take extra care of those who have either killed or raped children for they are likely to be targeted by their fellow prisoners who have their own code of honour.

To this category must now be added militants seen to be attacking the concept of “Queen and country”.

Barot was moved from Frankland to Belmarsh jail, southeast London, yesterday, after fears for his safety.

It so happens that the wife of Omar Khayam, another militant at Frankland prison, has complained to Channel 4 television about her husband being subjected to death threats and racist abuse from fellow prisoners.

Mrs Khayam, who asked Channel 4 to withhold her first name for her own security, said: “The specific threats are that, ‘We’re going to burn you alive and we will stab you. We know who you are and we’re not going to let you go’. ”

She alleged the threats were issued by other prisoners: “There’s only eight Muslim prisoners on his wing and 92 whites. The majority are racist and they don’t like Muslims or Asians.”

Khayam, described as the leader of “the fertiliser gang”, was given 20 years at the Old Bailey in April after being found guilty of plotting to kill hundreds of people by targeting The Ministry of Sound nightclub, Bluewater shopping centre in Kent and the gas network using a giant fertiliser bomb.

When the interviewer Simon Israel commented: “There’s not going to be much sympathy for you,” she replied: “At the end of the day, he’s still a human being and nobody deserves that.”

Barot was arrested in August 2004 and accused of conspiracy to murder. At his trial in November last year, he admitted planning to bomb several targets including the New York Stock Exchange, the International Monetary Fund headquarters and the World Bank.

He was given 40 years, but at his appeal in May the sentence was reduced to 30, possibly because the judge recognised the slightly Walter Mitty character of the prisoner whose aliases had included Bilal, Abu Musa al-Hindi, Abu Eissa al-Hindi, and Issa al-Britani.

Recent publicity has not helped Barot’s cause. His name came up following the car bomb incidents in London on June 29 and Glasgow on June 30. In both cases, the vehicles were packed with gas cylinders — in London, nail were included so as to cause maximum damage, police said.

These stirred memories of the Barot case for, he too, had planned to use limousines packed with explosives.

The police and the prison authorities are now conducting an investigation into how Barot was attacked. They may consider it possible that Barot’s fellow prisoners were inspired to fight “fire with fire” after what happened to Kafeel Ahmed, 27, the Bangalore engineer who suffered 90-degree burns when a flaming keep was rammed into the Glasgow airport terminal.

For the five days Barot was in hospital receiving treatment for his burns, he was guarded by armed police who requested a news blackout.