Politicians ‘leapt to the defence of this thug before awaiting the full facts’, says shadow justice secretary(Image: GMP)

Labour MPs are facing a backlash over comments they made on the Manchester Airport police attack before the case went to court.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, denied assaulting two female officers – PCs Ellie Cook and Lydia Ward – but was found guilty following a three-week trial. Amaaz, from Rochdale, was also found guilty of headbutting a member of the public – Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil – at a cafe at the airport minutes before the confrontation.

A senior Tory MP, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, said Labour politicians ‘leapt to the defence of this thug before awaiting the full facts’.

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A jury could not reach verdicts on a charge that Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 25, assaulted another police officer, PC Zachary Marsden, who the trial heard was captured on CCTV kicking Amaaz in the face. A retrial is now being sought.

Mr Jenrick, writing on social media, also said Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell ‘mistakenly raised concerns in the House of Commons’ – and called on her to issue an apology.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz(Image: GMP)

A number of other Labour MPs have now been dragged into claims they apparently sided with the accused over the police at the time.

Mr Jenrick said Amaaz has ‘rightly been found guilty of serious offences’ and called the evidence ‘as clear as day’. “Police officers deserve to know that those who attack them in the line of duty will be properly punished,” he wrote. “I hope Amaaz goes to jail for a long time.

“At the time of the attack some people were quick to judge the police. Those Labour politicians who leapt to the defence of this thug before awaiting the full facts should be ashamed.

“The cabinet minister, Lucy Powell, mistakenly raised concerns in the House of Commons. She should issue a full public apology. Police officers do a difficult job. They don’t always get it right. But if we’re to fight crime and make our country safe again, the police need to know we’ve got their backs when they tackle violent offenders.”

Muhammad Amaad(Image: Getty Images)

A probe into the actions of PC Marsden by the Independent Office for Police Conduct remains ongoing, including a criminal investigation which may consider a re-referral to the CPS, jurors on the trial were told.

Rochdale MP Paul Waugh reportedly branded the video footage of the incident ‘shocking and disturbing’ and met with the family. The brothers were at the airport to collect their mother from a flight.

Mr Waugh said: “I have spoken to the family involved in the incident at Manchester Airport on Tuesday night, and it is clear they are deeply traumatised by what happened.

“The family, who are my constituents in Rochdale, have two priorities. The first and most immediate priority is the health and wellbeing of their family members, including their mother. Their second priority is the need for justice to be done and seen to be done.”

Mr Waugh issued a statement following the conviction on Wednesday (July 30). In it, he said the incident showed how ‘police put their own safety at risk every day to protect us all’. He called the assault ‘violent’ and ‘ferocious’.

Robert Jenrick MP(Image: PA)

“Violent assault against our police is utterly unacceptable,” he added. “The sheer ferocity of the assaults faced by these two brave women police officers was shocking, and so too was the vicious headbutt of a member of the public.

“The jury could also see for themselves the full context of why the police were called in the first place – to detain a man who had seriously assaulted a customer in a café at Manchester airport.

“When I met the Assistant Chief Constable of GMP at the time, I asked him to pass on my concerns for the officers injured in this incident. I was very clear that any perpetrator of criminal attacks on our police should face the full force of the law. This case shows how the police put their own safety at risk every day to protect us all, and have to react in real time to fast-moving incidents.

“Proceedings are still live in relation to the charge of assault of another officer and given the CPS has said it intends to seek a retrial, contempt of court rules still apply in relation to that charge and prevent further comment. The justice system should be allowed to complete its course.”

At the time of the first reports, leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, said it was ‘truly shocking’ and insisted Greater Manchester Police must refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. She later cited the fact police had referred itself to the IOPC.

Paul Waugh MP(Image: Copyright Unknown)

Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain claimed in the Commons it showed a ‘complete abuse of power’, while Manchester Rusholme MP Afzal Khan demanded ‘meaningful assurances’ from police chiefs after what he called ‘excessive force against an unarmed civilian’ in Parliament.

Mr Hussain told MPs in Parliament: “I have been inundated with messages of concern and upset from my constituents following the horrific images from Manchester Airport, and I myself am deeply concerned about what can only be described as a complete abuse of power.

“Will the Leader of the House join me in declaring, to reassure the general public, that we should never have to witness such scenes of violence in a country such as ours where no authority is above the law, and that all necessary measures must be taken to investigate how and why such an incident arose?.”

Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi said she was ‘deeply concerned’ by the video, adding: “This has prompted serious public concern.”

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams said she waned to ‘associate myself’ with Mr Waugh’s remarks about ‘the appalling incident at Manchester International Airport’.

The Manchester Evening News has contacted each of the MPs for comment.

Lucy Powell said: “I welcome this prosecution as those who attack police officers should face the full force of the law. The police show bravery and resilience in response to appalling situations every day, and I stand fully behind them in doing their jobs to protect us all.”