She confirmed that Mansha was a friend of brothers Mohammed Abdul Kahar and Abul Koyair, who were arrested in the June 2 raid then released without charge after no evidence of a terror plot was found. But, she denied reports that the brothers had visited him in prison.
Miss O'Keefe said that Mansha was appealing against the length of his sentence for plotting to kill an Iraq War veteran, which she said was inappropriate because of his youth and his extremely low intelligence level. She confirmed that police had visited him in prison, but said he insisted he told them nothing.Mansha has been moved between prisons twice in recent months, and is now in a segregation unit for his own safety, she said. "He vehemently denies being the source," Miss O'Keefe told BBC Radio. "He knows that in the local area in Forest Gate, there are people who don't like him, maliciously making rumours up. Obviously, he is now concerned for his family and friends. He is concerned they will be followed and perhaps even further action taken against them just because they are related to him. He knows the brothers quite well. They both grew up in the Forest Gate area and I believe the older brother went to school with my client and they were friends... But they have not visited him in prison. Mutual friends have visited him in prison.