The Manchester Airport video of a police officer kicking a man in the head is ‘not a clear cut situation’, the mayor has revealed.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he has seen the full footage leading up to an incident where a police officer appears to kick Fahir Khan, 19, as he lays on the floor.
The chaos erupted after an ‘altercation’ in the arrivals hall between two brothers and a passenger on their mother’s flight, he said.
The footage of Fahir being stamped on by a police officer at the airport has recently triggered widespread outrage – with the teenager currently awaiting a medical scan.
His older brother Amaad was filmed being hauled across the floor and pinned down by cops. A woman understood to be their mother was also pushed.
Greater Manchester Police suspended an officer from all duties pending an investigation, referring itself to the IOPC watchdog, which has vowed to carry out a ‘robust’ investigation.
But the mayor told BBC Radio 4’s World at One there were issues ‘on both sides’.
Fahir Khan, 19, was kicked in the head by a Greater Manchester Police officer
Fahir’s brother Amaad, 25, (pictured) said his younger sibling was ‘in a bad way’
Footage of the attack also appeared to show Fahir and brother Amaad’s mother being shoved
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said he has seen the full footage leading up to an incident where a police officer appears to kick a man as he lays on the floor
He said: ‘It was, I think, an issue on a flight coming into Manchester Airport.
‘When the flight landed, two individuals … were waiting for their mum, who I think said that there’d been an issue on the flight and she pointed somebody out and then there was an altercation in the arrivals hall.
‘And then that individual who was involved in that – or a couple – were followed by cameras through the airport, and then we get to the scene that people have seen, which is in the car park area of Manchester Airport.
‘So there had been already a serious incident before that. What people don’t see in the clip is that there is a situation which escalates and escalates very quickly. ‘
He reiterated that the footage everyone has seen is ‘disturbing’ and said it was right to refer the situation to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate.
Former victims commissioner Dame Vera Baird described the footage as shocking, adding that the officer was ‘kicking the man’s head like a football’.
A large protest took place outside Rochdale police station last night – and further rallies are expected tonight outside Mr Burnham’s office.
Footage filmed by a witness showed a male officer stamping on Fahir’s head
A second man was also seen being detained in the video – after being ordered off a chair, he appeared to be kicked by the same officer. He has since been named as older brother Amaad
Lawyer Akhmed Yakoob (centre) with Fahir and Amaad Khan said ‘justice must prevail’
Further protests are expected to take place outside the mayor’s office at 6pm, as they call on him to act on the alleged ‘police brutality’.
Mr Burnham, newly re-elected in May, has appealed for ‘calm’ ahead of further protests, saying the incident was a ‘fast-moving and complicated situation’.
Fahir’s brother Amaad, 25, said today: ‘The family’s all shook up with everything that’s happened. You’ve seen what happened to my mum.
‘There’s a lot we’re dealing with, my brother’s still in hospital getting a CT scan. He’s got a black eye.’
He added: ‘My brother is in a bad way. He is very shaken up.’
The Khan brothers – who MailOnline have been told are charity workers in Rochdale – were filmed being attacked by the officer on Tuesday with footage of the incident sparking fury and angry demonstrations.
In the video, Fahir can be seen being restrained on the floor as the officer boots him in the head and then stamps on top of it.
His older brother Amaad is seated a short distance away with his hands cupped behind his head. As he shouts and screams, the same officer who attacked Fahir pulls him to the ground and kicks and punches him.
Protesters gather outside Rochdale Police Station overnight to demonstrate
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (pictured) has appealed for calm
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline from the family home in Rochdale, Amaad said his younger brother had gone to hospital for a CT scan because of the injuries he received to his head and was ‘feeling unwell.’
GMP said an officer had been suspended from ‘all duties’ following a ‘thorough review of further information that has become available’. It has made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for a full investigation.
GMP acknowledged in an earlier statement that the footage was ‘truly shocking, and that people are ‘rightly extremely concerned about (it)’.
‘The use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence and one that we understand creates alarm,’ it added.
The force added this morning: ‘We understand the deep concerns that have been widely raised with us, and will continue to meet and discuss these feelings with Greater Manchester residents and elected representatives, whilst this independent investigation takes place.’
The IOPC has vowed to conduct a ‘robust’ investigation, providing updates throughout.
The men who were arrested are believed to have been taken to Rochdale Police Station
Regional director Catherine Bates said: ‘We appreciate the footage which was shared on social media has attracted widespread shock and concern.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he ‘understood’ the concern around the video.
The PM’s official spokesperson later told reporters: ‘He understands the concern that members of the public rightly have in relation to that video.
‘The public rightly expect a high standard of conduct from our police and it is right that the police have reported themselves to the IOPC.’
And Dame Vera Baird, a former police and crime commissioner and national victims’ commissioner, told BBC Radio 5 Live the actions of the officer appeared to amount to little more than ‘gratuitous violence’.
She told Nicky Campbell: ‘There are a number of police around, they have tasers, they have handcuffs and they can restrain him in a sensible fashion but keeping his arms behind his back and keeping him down.
‘But instead, he is kicked in the head with presumably police boots on. I think the officer is lucky he hasn’t done some serious harm to this individual and then he appears to be gratuitously stamped on the head.
‘I don’t know anybody who behaves in that way and it is pretty shocking to find that a firearms officer does because it smacks of being out of control.
‘It’s very worrying that somebody who behaves like that is ordinarily armed by a gun with the police and given the power to use it.’
Several Tasers appeared to have been activated during the incident at Terminal 2
Additional footage shared on social media shows the moment police arrest two more men after the incident in which a detainee had his head kicked
Greater Manchester Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, said it had noted the suspension of the officer involved.
A spokesman said: ‘The matter is now under investigation – everyone has the right to a fair hearing where all sides of the story are told and context is provided.
‘As their staff association, we are supporting the officer concerned, and all of our colleagues who were involved in this incident, including those who were injured.
‘We would also like to thank the many members of the public who have contacted us offering support for our hard-working colleagues doing a difficult and dangerous job. It is appreciated.’
Late last night hundreds of people gathered outside the town’s main police station to protest the treatment of those who were arrested.
During the demonstration speakers labelled the police ‘institutionally racist’ and the lead crowd in chants of ‘GMP, shame on you’, with cries of ‘Allahu Akbar [God is greatest]’ and ‘f*** the police’ also heard.
One man holding a megaphone was hear telling listeners to remain peaceful at the protest, before adding ‘but tomorrow if we don’t get justice, these motherf*****s are gonna get it’.
George Galloway, the former MP for Rochdale, claimed on X that one of the men who was arrested had family members in the police.
He said: ‘I spoke at some length to both the uncle and the brother of those who were savagely assaulted on the videos that you’ve seen. Both the uncle and the brother are serving police officers.
In one piece of footage, a police officer can be seen pointing a taser at a group of men
Video posted online shows a long line of cars travelling in the direction of the police station late on Wednesday night for a demonstration
‘This is important. This is a police family that was severely beaten by the police, stamping on their faces while they lay helpless and unresisting on the floor, kicking them in the head with police boots while they lay unresistant, helpless on the floor.’
The angry crowd gathered after video showing the arrests of four men at Manchester Airport on Tuesday night was shared online yesterday afternoon.
GMP said the men were detained on suspicion of a number of offences, including assault, assault of an emergency worker, affray and obstructing police.
Amar Rafiq, who filmed some of the original video, was returning to Manchester from Qatar when he saw the incident unfold in front of him.
He told MailOnline: ‘I walked out to the concourse where the incident was taking place. The officer had the man put up against the wall, he was trying to push and shove the officer.
‘Moments later the other guy that had been there punched the officer, then they took both of them to the ground. They (police) were saying ‘you’re under arrest’.’
He said that was when he started filming, capturing the moment one of the men appeared to be kicked in the head.
Mr Rafiq said: ‘I was just gobsmacked. The police (officer) just kicked the guy in the face.
One man holding a megaphone was hear telling listeners to remain peaceful at the protest
Solicitor Akhmed Yakoob speaks to the media outside Rochdale Police station
‘Everyone was worried about themselves, they started panicking and rushing away, they feared they would be attacked.’
Mr Rafiq said at least ten officers were present at the time.
In a statement issued last night, Assistant Chief Constable Wasim Chaudhry said the force understood why the video of the arrests ‘created alarm’.
He said: ‘We know that a film of an incident at Manchester Airport that is circulating widely shows an event that is truly shocking, and that people are rightly extremely concerned about. The use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence and one that we understand creates alarm.
‘In advance of what is shown in the footage available, we were called to reports of an assault at Terminal 2, Manchester Airport at 8.25pm on Tuesday 23 July.
‘The alleged suspect was seen on CCTV at a ticket machine in the car park and officers attended the location to arrest him.
‘During our response, three officers were assaulted. One female officer suffered a broken nose and the other officers were forced to the ground and suffered injuries which required hospital treatment.’
But the force has already faced fierce criticism online over the clip, with former Chief Prosecutor for the northwest Nazir Afzal saying: ‘Obviously don’t have the whole picture but I see no justification for the kick in the head, followed by a stamp and a Taser on a prone, unarmed man with his hands by his side.’
Manchester Airport declined to comment.
