Brother of Manchester suicide bomber in UK court over attack on jail guards

LONDON (Reuters) -The brother of a man who detonated a suicide bomb after an Ariana Grande concert in Britain appeared in a London court on Thursday, charged with attempting to murder three prison guards in the jail where he is serving a life sentence.

Hashem Abedi, whose brother Salman Abedi killed 22 people at the Manchester Arena in northern England in 2017, is accused of attacking four prison officers at Frankland prison in northern England in April.

Abedi was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years in 2020 after being convicted of helping his brother plan the attack which injured more than 200 and whose victims included seven children.

Abedi, who is also charged with assault and unauthorised possession of a knife in a prison, refused to leave his cell to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court last week.

On Thursday, he appeared by videolink from Belmarsh prison, surrounded by five guards wearing body armour and helmets. Judge Paul Goldspring said Abedi will next appear at the Old Bailey on October 17.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)