Amaaz Convicted of Manchester Airport Police Assaults

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of assaulting two female police officers, PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook, during a violent incident at Manchester Airport on July 23 last year. Amaaz broke PC Ward's nose and assaulted PC Cook, and was also convicted of attacking passenger Abdulkareem Ismaeil, whom he claimed had racially abused his mother. Amaaz and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, argued they acted in self-defence and did not realize the victims were police officers, but the jury rejected this claim. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on whether Amaaz and his brother assaulted a third officer, PC Zachary Marsden, and prosecutors are considering a retrial on that count. Footage of the incident, including police use of force, circulated widely on social media, with Amaaz's family alleging police brutality. The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police welcomed the conviction, calling Amaaz's actions 'appalling conduct.'