Hashem Abedi says he 'will be leaving jail very soon' as he's caught smiling seconds before ​prison officer attack

Hashem Abedi today told a judge he 'will be leaving jail very soon' after he was sentenced for attacking two prison officers.

The convicted terrorist, who plotted the Manchester Arena terror attack alongside his brother, suicide bomber Salman Abedi, was today found guilty of the attacks in a high security unit at HMP Belmarsh.

Before being sentenced, Abedi, who is currently serving a minimum of 55 years in prison, told a judge the extra three years and 10 months of jail time 'would not make any difference'.

He said: "I don’t think the sentence is going to make any difference. Inshallah, myself and all my brothers will be leaving the prison very soon.

READ MORE: Hashem Abedi and two other terrorists guilty of attacking prison officer at HMP Belmarsh

"The promises of Allah and the Prophet are more truthful than your sentence and your judgment."

This came as Metropolitan Police released CCTV footage of the moments before the ambush, in which Abedi could be seen smiling.

The attack took place in Belmarsh’s high security unit on May 11, 2020.

Prison officer Paul Edwards, 57, said he thought he would be killed when he was set upon by Abedi, 24, Parsons Green Tube bomber Ahmed Hassan, 22, and Muhammed Saeed, 23, who spoke about carrying out a knife attack in London.

Mr Edwards told jurors he was hit with a chair, repeatedly punched and kicked in the attack.

"I feared for my life, and I genuinely thought if I hadn’t fought back I would’ve ended up with at least extreme injuries or dead," he said.

He said 'it felt like a lifetime' before colleagues, including Nick Barnett, came to his aid seconds later.

"It was just like a pack of animals on Mr Edwards," said Mr Barnett, who was kicked in the leg by Abedi during the melee.

Mr