Officer captured stamping on suspect in airport attack video suspended from duty

Footage showing a police officer kicking a man in the head at Manchester airport has prompted outrage from politicians, local people and the man’s family, as it sparked allegations of police brutality.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN , KATE DEVLIN , HOLLY EVANS

The Greater Manchester Police officer involved was suspended yesterday as the furore grew over the incident, which took place during a series of chaotic arrests on Tuesday evening.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Wednesday night outside Rochdale police station to chant “Shame on you”, and further demonstrations took place last night across Manchester.

Akhmed Yakoob, a lawyer for the family involved in the incident, said yesterday that the two men whose arrests were depicted in the footage had made a formal complaint of assault. Mr Yakoob said that the men – whom he referred to as Amaad and Fahir – had had to make their own way to hospital to be checked for head injuries after they were released from custody, adding that a CT scan had shown that one of them had developed a cyst on his brain.

Mr Yakoob also said that the man seen being kicked in the footage has an older brother who is a serving officer with GMP.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham appealed for “calm”, adding that the situation is “fast-moving and complicated”, although his words did not stop the protest centred on his office last night.

Around 200 people then marched through the city before speeches took place. Some marchers appeared to block tram lines and roads in the city centre.

Suggestions that racism influenced the altercation have continued, with a former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent suggesting that it played a “significant part in this” and another warning that the response was disproportionate.