Fresh allegations over airport police kick incident

The solicitor made the claims on behalf of the family at a press conference in Manchester.

Lawyers for the family of a man who was kicked and stamped on by police at an airport have made further allegations of mistreatment.

Muhammad Fahir Amaaz was struck by a firearms officer at Manchester Airport after he and his brother Amaad Amaaz were arrested following a violent clash with police on 23 July.

Their solicitor Aamer Anwar has claimed Fahir Amaaz was then threatened by an officer, thrown to the ground and had his neck knelt upon in an area of the terminal without cameras.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the force was "fully cooperating" with a police watchdog's independent investigation into the incident.

Two protests were held after the first video of the incident was shared online

The now suspended Greater Manchester Police constable who kicked and stamped on Fahir Amaaz is facing a criminal investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the level of force used.

Footage of the incident was shared widely online prompting protests in Rochdale and Manchester city centre.

GMP had said their firearms officers were subject to a "violent" attack while trying to make an arrest at terminal two.

A spokesman for the force said there was a risk their weapons could be taken from them.

A further video later emerged showing the build up to the kicking incident involved a fight in which officers were punched to the ground.

Four men were arrested for assault and affray following the incident.

Mr Anwar, speaking on behalf of the Rochdale family, said officers approached Fahir Amaaz without identifying themselves.

It was alleged they hit his head into the ticket machine by grabbing his neck.

The solicitor said Fahir Amaaz was thrown to the ground and knelt on by an officer, who they allege threatened to "kill him", after he was detained following the fight.

Mr Anwar claimed the officer's body-worn police camera had been turned off when this happened.

Muhammad Amaad (L) and Fahir Amaaz (R) flanked mother Shameem Akhtar and solicitor Aamer Anwar at the conference.

Mr Anwar also claimed GMP had not questioned a man who allegedly racially abused the men's mother, Shameem Akhtar, as she flew to Manchester from Doha.

This incident is alleged by the family to have caused an altercation between the man and the two brothers, which led police to be called.

The solicitor also alleges the disclosure of the second video to the Manchester Evening News showing the build-up to the kicking incident was a "deliberate attempt to smear the family".

It was a bid to "portray an incomplete version of events in a bid to prejudice proceedings", he claimed.

The GMP spokesman said police were actively "pursing lines of enquiry into three incidents", and had obtained "all relevant CCTV footage".

He repeated any appeal any witness or those with footage of the incidents to contact the police.

'Partial pictures'

Chief Constable of GMP Stephen Watson spoke to BBC Radio Manchester about the incident before the press conference was held.

He said he was "constrained" by what he could say, but acknowledge an IOPC probe and a criminal investigation into a "series of assaults" were both ongoing.

"We live in a really complicated age, social media is really good at putting partial pictures into the public domain, and as a result people are quite swift to rush to judgement."

"We just need to be balanced, and wait for all the facts to emerge, because the reality is, the public still don’t have the full facts.

"There’s all sorts of imagery and all the rest of it that will be made available to the appropriate authorities at the appropriate time, but we don’t do this in the social media space."