Lawyer says man involved in Manchester Airport incident ‘fighting for his life’

Solicitor and would-be politician Akhmed Yakoob told reporters that a family who claim police assaulted them at Manchester Airport approached him for help.

Dubbed the “TikTok lawyer”, Mr Yakoob won a significant vote share at this year’s West Midlands mayoral election as he finished in third position on a pro-Gaza ticket.

The Birmingham-based lawyer said he took a call for assistance from the family at the centre of the incident.

Footage filmed at the airport’s terminal two on Tuesday appeared to show an officer kick and stamp on the head of a man who was lying face down on the floor, with a woman kneeling beside him.

The video also appeared to show the officer strike a second man.

On Thursday, Mr Yakoob spoke on behalf of the family to media gathered at Rochdale police station – the scene of a protest the night before.

He said Mohammed Fahir, 19, was “fighting for his life” from head injuries he received and that Mr Fahir’s brother and 56-year old mother were also assaulted at the airport.

The two men had arrived to pick up their mother who had flown in from Pakistan, he said.

Their elder brother, a serving officer with Greater Manchester Police, he added, was “too afraid” to go into work.

Mr Yakoob refused to be drawn on what may have been the spark to the fracas.

Asked why the police had approached the family, he said: “That’s not relevant. The relevant issue right now is the health and the wellbeing of the family.

“One thing I can say loud and clear is that nothing justifies the barbaric treatment from the police officers.

“Because as you can see from the videos that everybody has seen there was no threat whatsoever to the police or the public.

“People are forgetting that the mother was assaulted as well. She got punched and kicked in the face.”

Mr Yakoob said he had a “long history” with the police himself but added: “We are with policing but we are against people taking advantage of their powers.”

He said he hoped that “honest” police officers would come forward to assist the ongoing IOPC investigation.