Manchester Airport: ‘Angry’ colleagues of suspended police officer refuse to carry weapons after incident

Colleagues of the police officer at the centre of the airport stamping row are refusing to carry a weapon on duty because they feel “real anger” at his treatment, reports today suggest.

The male officer has been suspended from Greater Manchester Police as police investigate an incident at Manchester Airport which left two brothers injured, one of whom is believed to have a brain cyst.

Mohammed Fahir, 19, was filmed being kicked and kicked by a police officer near a ticket machine in a car park at Terminal 2. The shocking footage was widely shared on social media, sparking protests across Greater Manchester and the suspension of a police officer.

But a source close to the weapons unit said: “There is real anger at the way the matter was handled and they felt they could no longer carry their weapons safely after the officer was suspended.”

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Greater Manchester Police said the Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the use of force. Since the footage, captured on Tuesday 23 July, emerged, it has referred two cases to the regulator. Police have asked for the public’s help with the investigation, which involves three incidents.

In their latest statement, police said: “Greater Manchester Police are investigating and appealing for witnesses to come forward in connection with three incidents that occurred in Terminal 2 of Manchester Airport on the evening of Tuesday 23 July 2024.”

“Witnesses are asked to upload information, images or footage to the public portal: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP23S59-PO1. The first incident is an altercation between passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR023, which arrived at 7.20pm. The altercation may have taken place during the flight or afterwards in the baggage hall of T2. The second incident is a violent altercation with members of the public in the Starbucks of T2 at around 8.22pm.

“The third incident is the assault on three police officers which occurred at 8.28pm in the parking ticket area of ​​T2 car park. The three officers sustained head injuries, including a broken nose. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is independently investigating the use of force by GMP officers which immediately followed these events and is seen in the footage on social media.”

In an earlier statement, Greater Manchester Police had pointed out that the officers were armed and had reacted violently out of fear that their weapons would be taken away from them.

Little is known about Qatar Airways flight QR23 from Doha to Manchester, which took off from Doha International Airport in Qatar at 14:33 local time. It flew over the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Turkey, and Eastern and Central Europe before landing at Manchester Airport at 19:21 local time. An hour passed between the flight landing and 20:22, when the first altercation occurred.