Manchester Airport: What Really Happened?

what really happened at manchester airport

Footage of a violent clash between police and two brothers, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammed Amaad, at Manchester Airport has sparked protests and a criminal investigation into police conduct. The incident, which took place on 23 July, involved a police officer kicking and stamping on the head of one of the brothers, with the family alleging mistreatment and an incomplete series of events being portrayed. The family's lawyer has requested that all footage of the incident be retained, while Greater Manchester Police has stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation and has obtained all relevant CCTV footage. The officer involved has been suspended and is facing a criminal investigation for assault.

Characteristics Values
Date of Incident 23 July
Location Manchester Airport, Terminal 2
People Involved Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, Muhammed Amaad, Shameem Akhtar, Aamer Anwar, Abdulkareem Ismael
Incident A police officer was filmed kicking and stamping on a suspect's head
Police Action The officer involved has been suspended and is under criminal investigation for assault
Family's Response The family has requested all footage of the incident be retained and appealed for calm
Protests Protests have occurred across the region
Investigation An independent investigation by the IOPC into police conduct is ongoing

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Footage shows a man being kicked in the head by a police officer

Footage has emerged of a man being kicked and stamped on by a police officer at Manchester Airport. The incident, which took place on 23 July, occurred during an altercation involving passengers from a Qatar Airways flight and members of the public in a Starbucks. The man in the video has been identified as 20-year-old Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, who, along with his brother, 25-year-old Muhammed Amaad, has been charged with assaulting Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers.

Mr. Amaaz is also accused of causing actual bodily harm to a male and female police constable and assaulting another female officer. In addition to the charges related to the airport brawl, he faces a common assault count against a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismael, on the same date. The case has been sent to Liverpool Crown Court.

The lawyer representing the Amaaz family, solicitor Aamer Anwar, has requested that all footage from the incident be retained. He alleged that an "incomplete series of events" had been portrayed in the two weeks since the incident and provided the family's version of events. Mr. Anwar claimed that the incident was sparked by an alleged racist and Islamophobic tirade of abuse directed at Mohammed and Muhammed's mother, Shameem Akhtar, by a male passenger on their Qatar Airways flight.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has responded to the allegations, stating that investigations into the incidents at Manchester Airport are ongoing. They are fully cooperating with the independent investigation reviewing police conduct while actively pursuing lines of inquiry into three incidents: the alleged altercation between passengers on the Qatar Airways flight, the altercation in Starbucks, and the alleged assault of three police officers, including the female constable with a broken nose. GMP has obtained all relevant CCTV footage and is appealing for witnesses to come forward.

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The officer has been suspended and is under criminal investigation

The officer involved in the Manchester Airport incident has been suspended and is under criminal investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The officer was filmed kicking and stamping on the head of a suspect, later identified as 20-year-old Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, during an arrest at the airport's Terminal 2 on July 23. The disturbing footage, which was widely circulated on social media, also showed an officer aiming a taser at the suspect.

In the video, Amaaz can be seen lying on the floor of the terminal's car park as an officer kicks and stamps on his head. A female officer is also seen aiming a taser at another individual. The incident occurred following a reported altercation between passengers from a Qatar Airways flight, involving Ms. Shameem Akhtar, Amaaz's mother, and an allegedly racist male passenger.

The family's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, has alleged that the police's body-worn camera was turned off during the incident and that the disclosure of the video footage to the media was a deliberate attempt to smear the family and portray an incomplete version of events. The family has also been subjected to horrific racist and Islamophobic abuse on social media following the incident.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has stated that it is fully cooperating with the independent investigation and is appealing for witnesses to come forward. The force is also pursuing lines of inquiry into three incidents related to the case, including the alleged assault of three police officers, one of whom suffered a broken nose.

The officer involved in the incident has been suspended from all duties and is now facing a criminal investigation for assault. The investigation is being led by the police watchdog, and the officer will have to justify his actions and the level of force used.

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Two brothers face charges of assaulting police

Two brothers, 20-year-old Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and 25-year-old Muhammed Amaad, have appeared in court charged with assaulting Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers at Manchester Airport. The incident, which took place on July 23, 2024, involved a brawl at the airport's Terminal 2 building, with footage showing a police officer stamping on a suspect's head. The footage was widely shared online and sparked protests against GMP.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammed Amaad, both from Rochdale, are accused of assaulting three police officers, including a female constable who suffered a broken nose. The family of the two brothers has claimed that the incident was sparked by an altercation with a male passenger on a Qatar Airways flight. The passenger allegedly subjected their mother, Shameem Akhtar, to racial abuse and used his hand luggage to hit her luggage. Upon arriving at the airport, Ms. Akhtar informed her sons about the incident, which led to a physical altercation with the passenger before the police were called.

The family's solicitor, Aamer Anwar, has requested that all footage from the incident be retained and has alleged that the disclosure of the second video to the media was a deliberate attempt to smear the family and portray an incomplete version of events. Greater Manchester Police have stated that they are fully cooperating with the independent investigation reviewing police conduct while actively pursuing lines of inquiry into three incidents. They have obtained all relevant CCTV footage and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz is charged with causing actual bodily harm to a male and female PC, as well as assaulting another female officer. He also faces a common assault count against a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismael, but this allegation was not put to him. The case against the two brothers has been sent to Liverpool Crown Court, with the defendants giving no indication of pleas before magistrates.

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The family of the man who was kicked claim he was threatened and thrown to the ground

The family of the man who was kicked and stamped on by a police officer at Manchester Airport have made further allegations of mistreatment. The man, Muhammad Fahir Amaaz, was allegedly threatened and thrown to the ground, and had an officer kneel on his neck in an area of the terminal without cameras.

Amaaz's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, provided extensive details of the family's version of events, including what allegedly sparked the incident. Anwar claimed that Ms Shameem Akhtar, Amaaz's mother, had been subjected to racial abuse by a male passenger on a flight from Pakistan or Doha. After using an empty seat to get more comfortable, she could hear "a male muttering in the row behind her" and was subjected to "a tirade of alleged racial abuse" over the next few hours. The man also allegedly hit her hand luggage with his after they had left the plane.

When Akhtar arrived at Manchester Airport, she saw her two sons, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammed Amaad, and her six-year-old grandson waiting for her. She broke down and told them what had happened. The sons then confronted the man, and a physical altercation broke out, leading the police to be called.

The family's lawyer has requested that all footage from the incident be retained. He also claimed that the police body-worn camera had been turned off during the incident and that the police had not questioned the man who allegedly racially abused Akhtar. The family has also been subjected to "horrific racist and Islamophobic abuse on social media" following the incident.

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The family has also received racist and Islamophobic abuse on social media

The family at the centre of the Manchester Airport incident has received racist and Islamophobic abuse on social media. The family's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, has requested that all footage from the incident be retained. Anwar has also alleged that an "incomplete series of events" has been portrayed since the incident, including the nondisclosure of the alleged racial abuse that sparked the altercation.

Shameem Akhtar, who was travelling back from Pakistan on a Qatar Airways flight, had used an empty seat to get more comfortable. She then heard "a male muttering in the row behind her", who then proceeded to subject her to a "tirade of alleged racial abuse" over the next few hours. After exiting the plane, this same man allegedly hit her hand luggage with his, prompting her to point him out to her two sons, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammad Amaad, who then confronted him, leading to a physical altercation.

Footage of the brawl at Terminal 2, which took place on 23 July, was widely shared online. It showed a police officer kicking and stamping on the head of Mohammed Fahir Amaaz as he lay on the floor, with a female officer aiming a taser at another person. The officer has since been suspended and is under criminal investigation for assault.

The family's lawyer has called for calm and requested that individuals do not gather outside police stations for demonstrations. The family has also appealed for any protests to be peaceful.

Frequently asked questions

Disturbing footage emerged of a police officer kicking and stamping on a man's head. The man, later identified as 20-year-old Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, was arrested following a violent clash with police. The officer in the video has been suspended and is under criminal investigation.

There was an alleged altercation between passengers from a Qatar Airways flight. Amaaz's mother, Shameem Akhtar, claimed that she was racially abused by a male passenger, who also hit her hand luggage with his after they exited the plane. When she pointed him out to her sons at the luggage carousel, a physical altercation broke out.

Protests broke out in the city centre and outside Rochdale Police Station against the Greater Manchester Police. The family of Amaaz, who are from Rochdale, called for calm and requested that all footage of the incident be retained. Two brothers, Amaaz and his brother Muhammed Amaad, were charged with assaulting police at Manchester Airport.

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