The police rally behind the policeman was sidelined after the violence at Manchester airport

Police chiefs are rallying behind an officer who has been suspended after kicking a teenager in the head – as the victim’s family say they have “genuine concerns” for officers who were injured in the run-up to the incident.

Greater Manchester Police was plunged into crisis last week after horrifying footage emerged of an officer kicking 19-year-old Muhammed Fahir as he was arrested alongside his brother Amaad.

The violent arrest at Manchester Airport – captured on bystanders’ mobile phones – sparked angry demonstrations in Rochdale, where the brothers are from, amid accusations of racism and “police brutality”.

The male officer filmed kicking Fahir has been suspended and investigated for assault by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

But a CCTV clip obtained this weekend shed more light on the incident as it shows Fahir attacking three officers just seconds before he was kicked to the ground.

New footage of the officer in question and two female colleagues being attacked shows that “we need to protect the protectors”, Greater Manchester Police Federation said.

The federation added that the new video shows the incident in “a very different light”.

Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, agreed and said the new clip offered a “totally different perspective”, adding: “We lost over 5,000 colleagues in the year leading up to the voluntary departure in March. Repeatedly mugged, poorly paid for risks, swindled by clueless idiots.

“After this week, this trend will accelerate. I don’t blame any of them.

It comes as colleagues of the suspended officer refused to carry their weapons in support.

A source close to the firearms unit told The Sun: “There is real anger at the way it was handled and they didn’t feel they could carry their guns safely after the officer was suspended.”

They said that when the officer kicked Fahir in the head, he was “disoriented” from being punched in the face and feared his gun had been pulled.

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The controversial TikTok lawyer who represented Fahir and his brother dramatically dropped the case last night after the new video surfaced.

Yakoob released a video on Instagram late Sunday, saying, “After consulting with the family, I have decided to step aside for the time being and have referred the family to an attorney.”

He claimed the widespread attention surrounding the case was “unfair to Greater Manchester Police and the family”.

He added: “I will be watching this closely.

“I’d like to say that I’m not for violence, whether it’s from police officers or civilians, always remember that.”

His shock announcement came just hours after he said “nothing can justify” the actions taken by police.

He said: “Having reviewed the CCTV footage from Manchester Airport, nothing can justify a defenseless man being kicked in the head and kicked in the head.

– These are my opinions. These officers are highly trained, they should not lose control or see red.

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GMP said one of the two female police officers suffered a broken nose during the violent attack.

During the melee, two officers were knocked to the ground before officers were able to Taser the suspects.

The family of the man who was kicked in the head said they had “genuine concern for any police officer who was injured”.

A source representing the family involved told the BBC: “If anyone has broken the law, they should face a fair trial.”

In response to calls from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham for people not to judge until they have the full context, they said there was “no context to justify an attack when someone is on the ground”.

But yesterday, former Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Kevin Hurley was now clear that the officer – who was himself punched to the floor and caught in a choke hold – was “quite frankly the hero” of the situation.

“That guy saved the day and frankly saved his colleagues,” he told LBC radio.

“Sometimes you have to do nasty things to people.”

Sharing the video on X – formerly Twitter – Chief Inspector Melanie Simmons, head of custody at Devon and Cornwall Police, expressed her “genuine disgust at seeing the horrific and prolonged violent attacks sustained by a number of officers”.

She added that given the incident took place in a “high security location”, the firearms officers were “very composed in the circumstances, given that they only took out their Taser and left their holstered pistols”.

Former armed response officer Harry Tangye has accused Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Rochdale MP Paul Waugh and Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson of “thanking mob rule” by backing the inquiry into the officer seen kicking him the teenager.

Accusing them of showing “no leadership or moral courage”, he posted: “I would argue that it is NOT in the public interest to prosecute these officers.

“Show your spine once and put the officer back in.”

Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said the “appalling” 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 be a “criminal investigation into the outrageous and disgusting level of violence”.

The CCTV clip – obtained by the Manchester Evening News – shows the male officer reprimanding Fahir at a car park pay station, apparently over an earlier confrontation with a passenger.

His brother Amaad then threw a barrage of punches, leaving the officer crumpled to the floor.

Fahir – dressed in light blue shorts – then punches a female officer, breaking her nose, before tackling a second female officer to the ground.

As the first officer points his Taser at Amaad, Fahir grabs him from behind in a chokehold, only to be hit by the injured officer himself.

Both brothers were arrested on suspicion of affray and assaulting an emergency worker before being released on bail.

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In a renewed appeal for calm, Mr Burnham said yesterday that the latest clip showed there were “two sides” to this “complicated situation”.

“Had the whole picture been out straight away, it would have allowed people to make a more rounded judgement,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“In the age of social media we live in now, people end up taking sides, but life is more complicated and the truth often lies in between.”

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has appealed for witnesses to the attack on its officers, as well as two previous incidents understood to involve the same family.

Sources described how the brothers’ 56-year-old mother – who they were meeting from her flight from Pakistan – told them about an incident on the flight which led to them confronting another passenger in the terminal building.

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The first incident is an “altercation between passengers” on Qatar Airways flight QR023, which arrived at 7.20pm on Tuesday, which police said may have taken place in the flight or baggage hall.

Then, at around 8.22pm, a “violent altercation involving members of the public” took place near Starbucks in Terminal 2.

Finally, after the brothers were tracked on CCTV, at 8.28pm in the car park pay point area, three police officers were assaulted and left with head injuries.

Last Wednesday, a large crowd protested outside the local family police station in Rochdale, with demonstrators chanting “Shame on you GMP!”.

The next day, a second protest blocked roads and tram lines outside Mr Burnham’s office in central Manchester.

On Friday, the brothers’ family issued a “leave for calm” through their MP, Mr Waugh, and urged people not to take part in further protests.