Two men accused of assaulting a police officer during a confrontation at Manchester Airport have been acquitted as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to pursue further proceedings after two juries failed to reach verdicts in their case.
Muhammad Amaad, 26, and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, had denied assaulting Greater Manchester Police officer PC Zachary Marsden at the car park pay station area of Terminal Two on July 23, 2024.
Two juries at Liverpool Crown Court failed to reach verdicts on the allegation and, following legal consideration, the CPS confirmed it would not seek a third trial.
Appearing before Liverpool Crown Court, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz attended via videolink from prison, while Muhammad Amaad sat in court with his legal representatives as prosecutor Paul Greaney KC outlined the reasoning behind the CPS decision.
Greaney said the law created a “presumption and expectation” against third trials except in “exceptional circumstances.”
Judge Neil Flewitt KC subsequently directed that verdicts of not guilty be recorded against both defendants in relation to the allegation involving PC Zachary Marsden.
Greaney told the court: “The Crown’s assessment is that while the count on the indictment is serious and the case has attracted significant public interest, it cannot be properly described as one of extreme gravity.”
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He added that the matter had been considered at the “highest level.”
Last week, a second jury was discharged after deliberating for nearly 20 hours following a five-week trial. Jurors had been advised they could return a majority verdict but were discharged after failing to reach one.
Both men denied the allegation and said they acted in lawful self-defence, or in defence of the other.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz had previously been convicted by another jury of assaulting two female officers, PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook, and a Starbucks customer during the same incident. He is due to be sentenced on June 26.
Separately, an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the use of force by Greater Manchester Police officers during the incident remains ongoing.
Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said: “Whilst disappointed that the prosecution case was not fully endorsed, we respect the findings of the court and accept the outcome of the jury’s thoughtful deliberations.
“We are cognisant of the ongoing IOPC investigation into the conduct of our officers.
“It is vital that officers get the respect and support they deserve for routinely putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the public.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with this investigation, and we look forward to its conclusion in due course.”
The IOPC said its investigation was at an “advanced stage”.
A spokesman said: “New evidence came to our attention in October 2025 and, there are now additional lines of inquiry for us to explore before we can finalise our decisions.
“IOPC investigators are now working through various strands of investigative material before any decisions are made on the next steps.
“We will continue to keep the relevant parties updated as we work to conclude matters as swiftly as possible.”
The airport incident
According to Manchester Evening News, police were initially called after Amaaz head butted a member of the public, Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil, minutes earlier inside the terminal building. Mr Ismaeil, an official in the ministry of the interior in Kuwait, refused to provide police with a statement.
He was later arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated assault over an incident on the Qatar Airways flight following allegations made by the mother of the accused brothers, Shameem Akhtar.
He was later informed no criminal charges would be brought against him. He declined to provide a statement as a witness, the court heard during legal argument in the absence of the jury.
Footage played to the jury showed Ms Akhtar – returning to the UK after almost two years away – pointing out Mr Ismaeil at Starbucks in T2 after she had been picked up by her two sons and six-year-old grandson. One of them, Amaaz, was captured on CCTV head butting Mr Ismaeil before throwing a left and a right punch.
The accused brothers told both trials that after they collected their mother she pointed out Mr Ismaeil and, when they demanded an apology, he refused and was alleged to have shouted ‘do you know who I am?’ and ‘I’ll f***ing kill you’. Amaaz said he headbutted Mr Ismaeil and threw two punches at him in self-defence in what his lawyers described as a ‘pre-emptive strike’.
Armed police were called to the scene, spoke to Mr Ismaeil and then attempted to detain Amaaz in the pay station of the car park. PCs Marsden and Ward, who had been informed that a man in a blue tracksuit had just head butted a man at Starbucks, walked into the pay station and each grabbed hold of an arm of Amaaz.
According to the defence, the arrest was unlawful as Amaaz was detained and his actual arrest was ‘some time later’ outside the pay station. The pay station was the scene of shocking violence, with children among the people watching.
The defence argued the police were part of an ‘out of control’ team based at the airport and used unlawful force, and that the brothers were entitled to defend themselves. Amaaz even said he thought he was going to be ‘murdered’ by the police.
The court heard PC Marsden suffered ‘post-concussion syndrome’; had severe headaches for three days; episodes of dizziness, forgetfulness, difficulties in talking; and bruising and swelling. PC Ward had to have her nose realigned during surgery after she was punched in the face by Amaaz.
She was captured sobbing uncontrollably and bleeding from her nose and mouth on police body-cam footage moments after the punch.
PC Cook was checked over by a paramedic when she returned to a police station that night after suffering swelling to her temple and pain in her jaw from a flying elbow.
Amaaz, who dropped out of a University of Salford sport rehabilitation degree, told the trial police failed to announce themselves when they grabbed him at the pay station and he thought initially he was being attacked by people summoned by Mr Ismaeil.
He admitted he realised it was police officers moments later, but alleged he and his brother were coming under attack from them and, when a cop aimed a Taser stun gun at his brother, he thought his sibling was about to be shot.
