ISIS supporter put former Australian soldier in critical condition in prison assault

From the Daily Telegraph AU, 9 News and 7 News

AN ISIS supporter has been charged after allegedly carving “e4e” — representing “an eye for an eye” into the head of an Australian Digger he was sharing a cell with. The former soldier, who served in East Timor, (and was) deemed a low security inmate, is fighting for his life following the alleged attack inside Kempsey prison on the state’s Mid North Coast.

It is believed the 18-year-old attacker choked the 40-year-old and carved ‘e4e’ into the front and back of the victim’s head. The teen then allegedly placed a towel over him and poured boiling hot water on him. (where did he get boiling water in his cell? Do they have teasmades in Aussie nick?)

The former Toowoomba-based soldier was rushed to the Port Macquarie Base Hospital and put in an induced coma, believed to have suffered a broken sternum and severe wounds to his neck, head and face.

Senior prison sources said the 18-year-old attacker was a known supporter of the terrorist group and had been previously caught sending graphic images of beheadings via internal mail to other ISIS extremists housed in Goulburn’s Supermax.

Bourhan Hraichie has now been charged with causing grevious bodily harm with intent and intentionally choking a person.

Sources said the teen was also previously found to have a hand-drawn ISIS flag inside his cell, as well as having carved one into the wall. Hraichie had been isolated from other inmates previous to the alleged attack because he was being “disruptive”.

The pair were in the same cell for just a few hours before Thursday’s alleged attack inside the prison’s maximum security section. Authorities were alerted when a medical alarm system, known as a “knock up” was activated.

ISIS is known to use the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” mantra when inflicting their brutal torture.
It is understood the teen allegedly used a razor blade to etch the slogan, but prison authorities would not confirm it.

NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin confirmed the attack, saying it “appears to have had a strong fundamentalist element to it” and that the teen had “clearly identified himself as a radical”. “I am appalled that these two inmates were placed in the same cell,” Mr Severin said.

The general manager of the prison, Greg Steele, has since been stood down from the role.

“As a result of that I have decided to suspend the general manager of the correctional centre pending the outcome of this investigation,” NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Peter Severin told reporters in Sydney today.

Public Service Association Corrections Branch chairman Steve McMahon said the inmate’s extremist views were not taken seriously and he should have been placed in his own cell. 

“The 18 year old, in our belief, had presented enough information and bad behaviour to have been segregated or, at the very least, he should have been placed in single cell. Had the information been passed on to senior officers and been dealt with correctly this would have been avoided. None of these things were done by management and he had certainly presented enough evidence he’s either a supporter or would be a participant.” 

Mr McMahon said Corrective Services has denied for close to 12 months that there had been any issue around extremism in NSW prisons. The attack came after a Sunday Telegraph report in October that IS supporters threatened to behead NSW Corrective Services staff and inmates who do not convert to radical Islam inside jails. 

The teen ISIS supporter has since been charged with causing grievous bodily harm and moved out of Kempsey jail. He will face Kempsey Local Court on May 23. 

What I can’t find is any report about the charges Bourhan Hraichie is facing/has been convicted of that put him in prison in the first place.