Suspended Officer Under Investigation For Brutal Attack On Teen At Manchester Airport

The officer involved in the violent beating of a teen on July 23 at Manchester Airport has been suspended from duty.

The Guardian notes that the young man who was brutalized is 19-year-old Muhammed Fahir. A video circulating the internet shows a cop kicking and stomping on the teen’s head before putting a knee on Fahir’s back. The teen was wearing blue. He laid face down on the ground during the incident, arms and hands at his sides.

The recording also shows the cop being violent with another man who was wearing grey. View discretion is advised.

The circumstances by which the incident escalated are still murky to the public. Fahir’s mother was allegedly on a flight from Pakistan to Manchester that evening. Reports state an incident happened on the flight, and police were called to respond to an assault at Manchester Airport Terminal 2 around 8:30 p.m.

The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) shared that three officers were assaulted at the airport terminal, with a female cop suffering a broken nose.

What Else Is There To Know About The Manchester Airport Police Incident?

The police officers involved were armed. GMP claimed in an initial statement that there was a “clear risk during this assault of their firearms being taken from them.”

The Guardian reports that the officer seen kicking the teen in the head is being independently investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The organization is reportedly also looking into the cops’ use of Pava spray, an incapacitant, on another man during the incident. The IOPC is allegedly considering criminal prosecution against the officer.

Whether or not the suspended officer will be charged depends on the investigation of police body camera footage and witness testimonies.

The incident has spurred protests outside the Rochdale Police Department in Greater Manchester. The area’s mayor, Andy Burnham, amplified Fahir’s family’s call for calm amid the impassioned tensions during a July 26 address.