Teenager’s
lawyer steps aside after Manchester airport ‘assassination’ remarks
Solicitor
for young man kicked by officer claims media have focused on him instead of
police misconduct
Josh
Halliday North of England editor
Mon 29 Jul
2024 12.09 BST
The lawyer
for the family at the centre of the Manchester airport brawl has said he is
stepping aside as investigations into the incident gather pace.
Akhmed
Yakoob became the focus of criticism after claiming 19-year-old Muhammed Fahir
was the victim of an “attempted assassination” that had left him “fighting for
his life”.
In footage
that emerged at the weekend, Fahir could be seen throwing punches at police
officers before being incapacitated with a Taser. An armed officer was then
filmed kicking the teenager in the face and stamping on his head.
The officer
has been suspended and is facing criminal charges of assault as part of an
investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). He is
expected to be interviewed under caution in the coming days.
Meanwhile,
Greater Manchester police (GMP) have stepped up investigation into Fahir and
three others who were arrested at the scene for affray and assault on emergency
service workers.
Yakoob, a
director at the Birmingham-based firm Maurice Andrews Solicitors, said the
media had tried to “sabotage” him since he started representing Fahir’s family
last week.
Addressing
the camera from the back of a car on Sunday night, he said: “You may have seen
the various media reports about me in the last couple of days.
“The media
have tried to sabotage me. It’s not the first time they’ve done this though,
but they’ve made this whole situation about me rather than police brutality and
police misconduct, which is unfair on Greater Manchester police and the family.
“So after
consulting with the family I have decided for now to step aside and I have
recommended the family to a lawyer. But I will be keeping a close eye on this.”
He added:
“I’d like to say that I am not for violence, whether it’s from police officers,
whether it’s from civilians. Always remember that.”
The
36-year-old, who has 200,000 followers on TikTok and has been posting frequent
updates about Fahir’s case, came under investigation by the Solicitors
Regulation Authority this year after he used social media to promote a false
claim of racism against a young teacher.
He stood as
an independent candidate in Birmingham Ladywood in the general election after
coming third in the vote for West Midlands mayor in May. He apologised in June
after being criticised for saying on a podcast that “70% of hell is going to be
women”, and for failing to condemn a guest saying he would give his wife a
“backhander” if she made money dancing on TikTok.
Andy
Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, appealed for calm at the weekend
after the Manchester Evening News published footage that showed officers being
punched by two men, one of whom was then kicked by the armed officer under
investigation.
GMP have
appealed for witness to provide information and any video footage about three
incidents prior to the one involving the suspended officer.
The first
was an altercation between passengers from Qatar Airways flight QR023, which
arrived at 7.20pm on Tuesday 23 July. The force said the altercation may have
taken place during the flight or afterwards in the terminal two baggage hall.
The second
incident was a “violent altercation” involving people in a Starbucks at
terminal two about an hour later, police said.
The third
was the assault of three police officers which occurred in the terminal two car
park pay point area at 8.28pm. This resulted in the three officers receiving
head injuries, including a broken nose, the force said.
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