Manchester Airport incident – latest: Police rally behind officer filmed kicking man as new footage emerges

Police have rallied behind an officer who was suspended from duty after being filmed kicking a man at Manchester Airport as fresh footage of the incident has emerged .

The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), launched a criminal investigation into the Greater Manchester Police officer for assault after a video appeared to show suspect Mohammed Fahir, 19, being stamped on while being restrained on the floor on 23 July.

The incident sparked angry protests in the city centre and in Rochdale – however, a new CCTV clip has now revealed the run-up to the now-viral scene. The video obtained by the Manchester Evening News appears to show two men attacking one male and two female police officers moments beforehand.

Following its release, the Greater Manchester Police Federation defended police, saying the fresh footage casts the incident in a “very different light” and shows “we need to protect the protectors”.

Agreeing, Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, told MailOnline the new clip provided a “different perspective altogether”.