A RADICALISED inmate at Winchester Prison launched an 'attack’ after luring officers into his cell and lunging at them with an improvised weapon, it has been claimed.

The Times newspaper has reported that police are investigating an incident involving convicted killer Xeneral Imiuru and prison guards last Thursday (February 13), but officials have so far been unable to confirm the circumstances.

No staff were injured and it is understood the incident is not currently being investigated as terror-related.

Imiuru had been segregated in the prison over concerns of violent behaviour towards staff, the PA news agency understands.

It is thought prison officers attended his cell in the segregation unit to check on his condition after he was seen lying on the floor, but a struggle took place after he was found to be conscious.

A weapon was found after the incident during a search of the cell.

Hampshire Chronicle:

The 20-year-old, also known by the surname Webster, was the first person to be convicted of an acid attack killing and was jailed for 17 years in 2018.

He pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Joanne Rand, a 47-year-old carer for dementia patients.

The innocent bystander had been visiting her daughter's grave when she was hit with the high-strength sulphuric acid which Imiuru had armed himself with and was knocked out of his hand during a row with another man nearby.

The mother-of-three had five per cent burns on her body and died 11 days later from multiple organ failure after contracting septicaemia.

According to The Times, Imiuru has started showing a “growing interest in extremism” and has tried to forge relationships with jihadist prisoners.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "Police are investigating an incident at HMP Winchester on February 13.

"Violence against our hard-working staff will not be tolerated and those responsible will face tough punishment, including more time behind bars."

Imiuru has no previous terror convictions but is believed to have been radicalised after converting to Islam in jail.

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The POA, formerly known as the Prison Officers' Association, called for the investigation to be carried out "quickly" and said questions were being asked over how inmates might have access to weapons, particularly in segregation.

Hampshire Constabulary is yet to provide further details but said the incident was only reported to police yesterday (Tuesday).

The news comes amid growing concerns over radicalisation behind bars in the wake of three terror attack in as many months - one of which took place inside a jail while the other two involved convicted terrorists recently released from prison.

Speaking on Radio 4's World at One programme, Ian Acheson, who led an independent review of Islamist extremism behind bars in 2016, said violent extremism was "clearly not under control inside prisons" and "presents a lethal threat" both inside and outside jails.

He said prison staff are "increasingly being confronted with a lethal extremist-inspired threat for which they are patently not equipped to deal with", adding: "I think there is an institutional squeamishness at the top of the prison service to deal with this problem which unfortunately has now led to the situation that we see where we have got violent extremism that is at best delayed inside custody and at worst weaponised."

There had been "foot dragging" over bringing in changes to tackle the problem, he claimed, adding that he was not convinced all recommendations for improvements he had made - such as ensuring prison imams had faced security checks - had been implemented.