I don't normally read the Observer, but I stumbled upon a hidden gem this weekend. They carried a long, sympathetic interview with the father of Omar Khayyam (the crack dealer who recently sported a natty line in suicide-bomber chic while out on parole.)
Amidst the wailing, Khayyam pere says:
In jail Omar got a job as a chef, Nazish says, and became popular for his fine South Asian cooking. 'Usually during Ramadan [the Muslim holy month of fasting] they just have a sandwich and an apple. When Omar arrived everything changed. He cooked chicken and meat biryanis, kormas, jalfrezis - everything you would find in a good restaurant. There were more converts to Islam in the prison than ever before. Then there was a ban on converting because they know most of the guys were doing it for the food.'
Some reports suggest Khayam was drawn to radical Islam during his three-year jail spell, which ended with his release on licence last year. His brother, who describes Khayam as a 'moderate Muslim', denies the charge.
'He said that when there's a 23-hour lock-up, you have to make the most of the one hour you have free. He tried the gym at first, then he paid more frequent visits to the mosque.' His father interjected. 'From a religious point of view, he stayed the same. Prison had no influence on him.'
Does this mean that our security perimeter now extends to prison kitchens? It seems clear that Khayyam was already radicallised, and that the food was a recruiting tool for whatever jihadi sect he supports.