Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for a violent assault on two female police officers and a member of the public at Manchester Airport in July 2024. The attack, which was captured on bodycam and CCTV footage, went viral on social media and left one officer with a broken nose and another traumatised.
Violent Attack at Terminal 2
The incident began when Amaaz and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, picked up their mother from a flight. Amaaz headbutted a man named Abdulkareem Ismaeil after confronting him at a Starbucks in the terminal. Police were called and found the brothers at a Terminal 2 car park pay station. CCTV footage showed Amaaz throwing 10 punches, two elbow strikes, and one kick, while his brother threw six punches. The brothers claimed they acted in self-defence.
Impact on Officers
PC Lydia Ward suffered a broken nose and required surgery, leaving a small scar. In a victim impact statement, she said: “I genuinely thought you would have agreed to come outside for a conversation about what you had done in Starbucks. There were no indications. I never in a million years thought you would have attacked me the way you did. I’m still so confused about it all.” PC Ellie Cook, who was knocked to the ground with a series of elbows and punches, said: “I remember feeling punches in quick succession and with such power behind them that I thought I was being attacked by 3-4 people. I was terrified.” She added that the attack forced her to give up her role as a firearms officer.
Conviction and Sentencing
At Liverpool Crown Court, Amaaz was convicted of assaulting PC Ward occasioning actual bodily harm, assaulting PC Cook by beating, and assaulting Mr Ismaeil by beating. Jurors could not agree on a verdict for assaulting a third officer, PC Zachary Marsden, and prosecutors ruled out a third trial. Amaaz and his brother were found not guilty on that count.
Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: “It would have been open to you, having seen the CCTV, to say there was no justification for your attack on Ismaeil, PC Ward and PC Cook. Instead, you sought to blame others for what was your responsibility and portray yourself as the victim. That does not bode well for your rehabilitation.”
Police Response
Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson QPM said: “This incident began after a man was headbutted in a public place in front of his family. Our officers were responding quickly to precisely the sort of outrageous criminal behaviour that rightly offends the public. In undertaking their duties, officers were met with resistance and violence; followed by online vilification, condemnation and adverse commentary from those who did not have the full facts.” He noted that 35 officers are assaulted every week across Greater Manchester. The force is cooperating with an ongoing IOPC investigation into the conduct of officers during the incident.
