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A video appears to show an armed Greater Manchester Police officer kicking a detained man in the head before stamping on him as he is Tasered on the ground.
The incident, which happened at Manchester Airport earlier this afternoon, shows several officers shouting at the public to stay back after they were called to reports of an altercation at Terminal 2.
While the holidaymaker, believed to be a young man, is lying with his hands behind his back, a policeman appears to violently kick his face before stamping on his head.
At the same time, at least one taser is deployed against the man.
A woman, believed to be a family member, watched on in horror as the man was detained, and tried to pull his head away from officers after the stamp.
Greater Manchester Police said the footage was filmed after multiple officers were assaulted leaving one with a broken nose.
Footage filmed by a witness showed a male officer stamping on one of the men’s heads
A woman who appeared to be accompanying the men tried to protect her companions from the violent onslaught
Footage shows the woman was pushed away by officers, who also detained a second man who had been sat on a chair nearby.
The second man appeared to be kicked and hit as he was knocked to the ground by the same male officer.
The witness who filmed the footage, Amar Rafiq, was returning to Manchester from Qatar when he saw the incident unfold in front of him.
He told MailOnline: ‘I was just gobsmacked. The police [officer] just kicked the guy in the face.
‘Everyone was worried about themselves, they started panicking and rushing away, they feared they would be attacked.’
He added he did not see what happened to the men or the woman accompanying them because officers sent everyone away from the scene.
Mr Rafiq said at least ten officers were present at the time.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said they were called to reports of an altercation between members of the public.
They added that one of the suspects ‘violently assaulted’ officers, leaving a female officer with a broken nose.
A second man was also seen being detained in the video – after being ordered off a chair, he appeared to be kicked and hit by the same officer
Several tasers appeared to have been activated during the incident, which unfolded at Terminal 2
The spokesperson added there was a ‘clear risk’ officers’ firearms might be taken from them.
A statement read: ‘Officers were called to reports of an altercation between members of the public in Terminal 2 at Manchester Airport.
‘Whilst attempting to arrest one of the suspects of the earlier altercation, three officers were subject to a violent assault, where they were punched to the ground. A female officer suffered a broken nose and all three were taken to hospital for treatment.
‘As the attending officers were firearms officers, there was a clear risk during this assault of their firearms being taken from them.
‘Four men were arrested at the scene for affray and assault on emergency service workers.
‘We acknowledge the concerns of the conduct within the video, and our Professional Standards Directorate are assessing this.’
But the force has already faced fierce criticism online over the clip, with former Chief Prosecutor for the northwest Nazir Afzal saying: ‘Obviously don’t have the whole picture but I see no justification for the kick in the head, followed by a stamp and a taser on a prone, unarmed man with his hands by his side.’
Manchester Airport declined to comment.