Abu-Jamal segregated after row with guards

Mumia Abu - Jamal , who has been sentenced to death for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer, spent the weekend in administrative segregation at Holmesburg Prison after an altercation with guards Friday morning, prison officials said.

David Owens, superintendent of Philadelphia prisons, said Jamal was removed by corrections officers from a visiting area Friday morning after a visitor, who identified herself as Jamal's wife, was denied entry to the prison.

After the woman's visit was denied, Jamal was ordered to return to his cell block but refused, Owens said. "The officers had to use some force. They grabbed him, picked him up and carried him off," he added.

Owens said that Jamal was to face a disciplinary hearing last night or today to determine whether he would be placed in punitive segregation at the prison.

He said neither Jamal nor corrections officers were injured. Jamal was examined by a doctor after the incident, he said. Reports filed on the incident did not indicate that blows were exchanged, the superintendent said.

But Nadira Spence, spokeswoman for Jamal's defense committee, said Jamal has since told her that he was choked and kicked in the groin during the altercation. "Eight guards jumped on him," Ms. Spence said.

The incident was the second at Holmesburg that Jamal has been involved in since he was convicted in July of fatally shooting police officer Daniel Faulkner in Center City in December 1981.

In July, Jamal was charged with interfering with officers after he tried to stop them from transferring his cellmate to another cell, prison officials said. Jamal was reprimanded after that incident, Owens said.

Friday's incident occurred while Jamal was in a visiting area awaiting the arrival of Wadiya Jamal, who identifies herself as Jamal's wife and visits him for 30 minutes every week. Jamal, whose name at birth was Wesley Cook, is legally married to Marilyn Cook.

Wadiya Jamal said in a telephone interview yesterday that she argued with a jail matron who was searching her before she was to enter the visiting area.

"The matron told me to open up my pants. I didn't want to, but I knew if I didn't I wouldn't get to see Mumia. When she completed her search, she said 'OK, take off your shoes. "' Wadiya Jamal said she thought the order was unnecessary because she was wearing sandals.

"I said, 'Why should I take them off?' and she said, 'OK, your visit is canceled."