Manchester Airport police incident family’s new lawyer makes bold demand as he takes over case

The new solicitor for the family at the heart of a controversial incident involving officers at Manchester Airport has boldly demanded that all police footage be released.

Aamer Anwar, 56, is set to replace the so-called ‘TikTok lawyer’ Akhmed Yakoob after his departure. “I have instructed on behalf of Fahir Amaaz, Muhammad Amaad, their mother and family in respect of the incident at Manchester Airport on Tuesday, 23rd July 2024,” Mr Anwar stated.

Mr Anwar has confirmed he has been in contact with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to file a complaint. He has also insisted that “all CCTV and police bodycam footage to be retained.”

The Manchester-born lawyer, whose parents hail from Pakistan, alleged that the men’s mother faced racist abuse prior to their arrest.

READ MORE: The Manchester Airport footage: the unanswered questions

A constable from Greater Manchester Police has been notified that he is under criminal investigation for assault following the event, as per the IOPC’s Friday announcement. The officer has also received a notice regarding potential gross misconduct, which includes an array of purported violations of police professional standards such as the use of force, an IOPC spokesperson disclosed, reports the Mirror.

“If certain police officers behave like this in an area full of CCTV and in the presence of so many witnesses, then it really begs the question of what they are capable of when there is no such evidence,” Anwar said. “Highly trained police officers can never use provocation or emotion to justify the use of excessive, illegitimate and potentially lethal force.”

The incident saw a man being kicked in the head by an officer while he was apprehended on the floor. Protests erupted in Rochdale and Manchester city center after the video circulated online, before the family of the man who was reportedly kicked and stamped called for calm.

The Labor Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said people should not “rush to judgement” over the incident as further footage emerged. “Following incidents in the run-up to the footage people saw this week, four individuals were arrested and are now on police bail,” Mr Burnham said.

He added that it was “frustrating” that further video has not been released to the public because “this is a live investigation.”

The ages of the arrested and bailed men are 19, 25, 28 and 31.

Mr Burnham continued: “People now need to step back and allow the IOPC’s criminal investigation into the officer’s conduct to move forward, alongside the parallel GMP investigation into other potential offences, so that a complete picture can be presented.”

Mr Anwar stated: “There can be no excuse for any footage to inadvertently disappear. If certain police officers behave like this in an area full of CCTV and in the presence of so many witnesses, then it really begs the question of what they are capable of of when there is no such evidence.

“Highly trained police officers can never use provocation or emotion to justify the use of excessive, illegitimate and potentially lethal force. I would also urge any members of the public who witnessed the incident or were subjected to police violence to come forward and either contact the IOPC or my office.”

“The family of whom a number are serving police officers, wish to make it clear, if any member of their family was engaged in criminal conduct then they must face due process. However, the repeated attempts by so called police sources to spin a false narrative or context is deeply unhelpful to an IOPC investigation.”

“We expect the GMP to arrest a member of the public who is accused of subjecting the two brother’s 60-year-old mother to a tirade of racist abuse and assault – this is what sparked the incident – the police of course have his details and must act immediately. Over the coming days once formal legal steps and our investigations are complete, the family will issue a full statement at a press conference.”

Greater Manchester Police has launched a public appeal for additional footage and witnesses relating to three separate incidents. The first incident involved “an altercation between passengers” from Qatar Airways flight QR023, which landed at 7:20pm, with the dispute potentially occurring on the flight or in the T2 baggage hall, according to the police.

This was followed by a “violent altercation involving members of the public” in T2 around 8:22pm, GMP reported. Later, at 8:28pm in the terminal’s car park pay point area, three police officers were assaulted, sustaining head injuries including a broken nose, the force stated.