Prison boss stood down after radicalised teen allegedly carved IS slogan into cellmate’s head
AN investigation has been launched after 18-year-old IS supporter Bourhan Hraichie allegedly used a razor to carve “e4e” — representing “an eye for an eye” into the head of his cellmate.
THE general manager of a Mid North Coast prison where a radicalised Muslim teenager allegedly carved an ISIS slogan into the head of a former Australian soldier has been stood down.
Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin denied there was systemic problem of Islamic radicalisation in the state’s prisons as he announced that Kempsey Prison’s boss Greg Steele had been suspended.
“I had no choice but to suspend the general manager. That’s not an easy step, it’s a serious step,” he said.
“What we are dealing with is not a systemic issue. Yes, we have a range of inmates who are clearly at risk of being radicalised but we also have robust strategies. What is new is the fact that we have a range of people that are quite young that are showing tendencies of radicalisation.”
Bourhan Hraichie, 18, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent and intentionally choking a person with recklessness. He has been moved to Goulburn Supermax and will face Kempsey Local Court on May 23. It is understood it will be alleged he used a razor blade to etch “e4e” meaning “eye for an eye”, a popular ISIS punishment slogan, on the front and back of the head of Michael Sean O’Keefe, 40, on Thursday.
He then allegedly placed a towel over the former Digger before pouring boiling water on him.
Prison guards were only alerted once a medical alarm system inside the cell, known as a “knock up”, was activated. There were no prison guards in the vicinity of the cell who would have heard the allegedly sadistic assault.
Mr O’Keefe suffered a broken sternum and was in an induced coma but his condition is believed to have improved. Mr Severin said the weapon used was not contraband.
The Western Sydney teenager had been isolated from other inmates previous to last week’s alleged attack because he was being a “disruptive prisoner”.
Public Service Association Prison Officers chairman Steve McMahon said the department had not taken the extremist views seriously.
“He had presented enough information and bad behaviour to have been segregated, or at the very least, been put in a single cell,” Mr McMahon said.
The pair was placed together because Mr O’Keefe had been moved from another cell and there was no information in the system alerting guards the pair should not be placed together.
Mr Severin said Hraichie had “clearly identified himself as a radical”.
“Just because you have tendencies of radicalisation does not mean you get automatically isolated. However when you engage in violent, extreme behaviour that’s when you need to be separated,” he said.
“He did not have a history of violence in his criminal history. He has not been charged with any terror related or extreme violence offences. He shouldn’t have been sharing a cell with anybody.”
NSW Opposition MP Guy Zangari said the slip up was shocking.
“Management has placed the life of this minimum security inmate at risk by placing him in with this maximum security inmate,” he told reporters today.
The besieged prison boss has welcomed an investigation by the new inspector of custodial services.
The head of Corrective Services Security and Intelligence Assistant Commissioner Mark Wilson said radicalisation was not sweeping through NSW’s jails.
“There is no widespread extremism in the prisons. The exposure to ISIS propaganda is widespread through the media,” he said.
