A police officer who was filmed kicking a teenager in the head received widespread support yesterday after footage emerged of the shocking attack on his colleagues moments earlier.
A former police chief said it was now clear he was “frankly the hero” of the situation, while a former sergeant in an armed unit said his suspension should now be lifted.
And a chief inspector on duty said the three firearms officers had been “very calm” and “left their sidearms in their holsters”.
Calls have been raised for the attackers to be prosecuted after shocking CCTV footage showed 19-year-old Fahir Muhammad Amas leaving one policewoman with a broken nose and knocking another to the ground just before he was kicked.
Last week’s violent arrest at Manchester Airport, captured on bystanders’ mobile phones, sparked angry protests and accusations of racism and “police brutality”.
Yesterday, it became clear to former Surrey police chief Kevin Hurley that the officer – who was himself knocked to the ground and put in a chokehold – was “quite frankly the hero” of the situation.
“That one man saved the situation and, to be fair, he saved his colleagues as well,” he told LBC radio.
‘Sometimes you have to do bad things to people.’
Detective Chief Inspector Melanie Simmons, Head of Custody at Devon and Cornwall Police, shared the video on X (formerly Twitter) and expressed her “sincere horror at the appalling and prolonged violent attacks suffered by several officers”.
She added that given the incident took place in a “high security location,” the firearms officers “were very calm under the circumstances as they only drew Tasers and left their pistols in their holsters.”
Former armed aid worker Harry Tangye accused Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Rochdale MP Paul Waugh and Greater Manchester Police Chief Stephen Watson of “pandering to crowd rules” by supporting the investigation into the police officer who kicked the teenager.
This is the moment in the original footage that caused controversy after a police officer kicked the young man on the ground in the head – but new footage now shows what happened in the moments leading up to this incident.
New footage shows the moments before a Greater Manchester police officer was filmed kicking a teenager in the head at Manchester Airport
The new footage shows Fahir apparently punching a female police officer in the head
As the first officer aims his Taser at Amaad, Fahir grabs him from behind in a chokehold
One policewoman can be seen on the ground while the other is hit by Fahir
The police officers try to get the men under control after the scene descends into chaos
He accused them of showing “no leadership or moral courage,” writing: “I would submit that it is NOT in the public interest to prosecute these officers.
‘Show some backbone for once and restore that officer’s function.’
Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said the “horrific” clip showed “a disgusting level of violence against police officers”.
He told GB News it was now clear that in addition to the investigation into the officer there should also be a ‘criminal investigation due to the abhorrent, disgusting and appalling level of violence’.
The CCTV clip – obtained by the Manchester Evening News – shows the male officer grabbing Fahir at a parking meter, reportedly over an earlier confrontation with a passenger.
His brother Amaad, 25, hits the officer with a barrage of punches, knocking him to the ground.
Fahir, wearing light blue shorts, then punches a female officer, breaking her nose, before knocking a second policewoman to the ground.
As the first officer aims his taser at Amaad, Fahir grabs him from behind in a chokehold, after which the injured policewoman also hits him with a taser.
Both brothers were arrested on suspicion of affray and assault on an emergency worker. They were subsequently released on bail.
In response to yesterday’s footage, the brothers’ controversial Lamborghini driver maintained that the officer had acted wrongly in kicking Fahir in the head after the teenager fell to the ground.
Akhmed Yakoob – also known as the TikTok lawyer – said: ‘Having watched the CCTV footage from Manchester Airport, nothing can justify a kick to the head of a defenceless man and a punch to the head. That is my opinion.
“These officers are well trained, they must not lose control or get a red light.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham yesterday appealed for calm again, saying the latest clip showed there were “two sides” to this “complicated situation”.
“If the whole picture had been made public straight away, people would have been able to make a better judgement,” he told BBC Breakfast.
‘In the age of social media we live in today, people take sides, but life is more complicated and the truth often lies somewhere in the middle.’
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has appealed for witnesses to the attack on its officers and to two previous incidents believed to have involved the same family.
Sources describe how the brothers’ 56-year-old mother, who picked them up on her flight from Pakistan, told them about an incident on the flight in which they confronted another passenger in the terminal building.
The first incident involves a “dispute between passengers” on Qatar Airways flight QR023, which arrived at 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday. According to police, it may have taken place in the flight or baggage hall.
Then, at around 8:22 p.m., a “violent altercation involving members of the public” occurred near Starbucks in Terminal 2.
Eventually, after the brothers were tracked down via CCTV, at 8.28pm three police officers were attacked at the pay machine in the car park, injuring their heads.
Last Wednesday, a large crowd protested outside the family’s local police station in Rochdale, with protesters chanting: ‘Shame on GMP!’
A second protest took place the following day, blocking roads and tram lines outside Mr Burnham’s office in Manchester city centre.
On Friday, the brothers’ family, through their MP Waugh, appealed for calm and called on people not to take part in further protests.
The officer who was filmed kicking Fahir has been suspended and is being investigated for assault by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.