Who is TikTok lawyer Akhmed Yakoob? What we know about man who represented brothers at Manchester airport police row
AKHMED Yakoob has been making headlines for some time now — running for mayor of the West Midlands while making incendiary comments, which he later apologised for.
And he’s back in the spotlight for defending the brothers at the centre of the Manchester Airport brawl, which ended with a policeman being filmed kicking one of the siblings.
Who is Akhmed Yakoob?
Akhmed Yakoob, 36, is a controversial ‘TikTok lawyer’ who came to national attention after footage of a police officer stamping on a man’s head went viral online.
The lawyer was representing the man who got stamped on and his brother.
But both of the siblings appear to assault the cops beforehand in further footage that has been released.
Yakoob, who works for Maurice Andrews Solicitors in the West Midlands, has previously made derogatory comments on social media about LGBTQ+ people and women.
On an episode of the YouTube documentary Blue Tick Show with Mikey Mellin, he said: “I’ve got no issue with this LGBTQ. I don’t promote it. I can’t promote it. You [Mr Melin] can’t promote it, we can’t promote it because we are Muslim.
“We can’t promote it because it’s been told, we’ve been told, God has sent down a message… people should be able to do what they like, yeah, but not try to enforce their views and opinions on other people’s kids.
“I don’t like this being taught in schools — I hate it.”
Yakoob added: “I have now pulled my kids out of school. Now they are in Islamic schools because I can’t have that around me.”
In a March 2024 episode of the Minted Minds podcast, Yakoob praised Andrew Tate, describing him as “the essence of true manhood” before adding: “I like the way he talks, to be fair, because I’ve not heard him say anything wrong.”
In the same episode, he made a misogynistic joke about how “70 per cent of hell is going to be women”.
He is under investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority for promoting a video claiming to show a teacher making a racist slur, per the Mirror.
The backlash saw the female educator receive death threats after the lawyer shared her name and the school she worked at with his followers.
Yakoob is a father of four who came into the spotlight earlier in 2024 when he stood for mayor of the West Midlands on a pro-Palestine platform.
Ahead of his campaign, he released a statement addressing these comments, saying: “I am mortified to listen back to this recording. While banter in an informal setting can often be crude, I should have refused to take part, since the tone of that discussion represents everything I stand against.”
He added: “I have learned lessons from this and wish to wholeheartedly apologise.
“My promise to the women of Ladywood is that, in fighting misogyny, they will always have an ally in me.”
He secured over 69,000 votes, coming in second to Labour’s Shabna Mahmood while also being endorsed by George Galloway.
The lawyer carried out the vast majority of his campaign via TikTok, where he has more than 200,000 followers.
Who is Akhmed Yakoob legally representing?
Yakoob was representing brothers Mohammed Fahir Khan, 19, and Amaad, 25, after footage of a police officer stamping on Fahir’s head went viral.
But the TikTok lawyer has dropped the case after new video surfaced showing a violent assault on police.
A second video emerged on the evening of Saturday, July 27, giving more context to the moments leading up to Fahir’s violent arrest.
It shows the same officers from the clip being punched — with one put into an aggressive chokehold.
Brothers Amaad and Fahir appear to be fighting with police in the clip.
A man wearing a dark grey top, thought to be Amaad, repeatedly punches a male police officer as he falls back.
The policeman has to pull out his taser to get away from the assault.
Meanwhile, a man dressed in blue, believed to be Fahir, hits a female officer several times in the face until she falls to the ground.
‘Social media lawyer’ Yakoob is understood to have been contacted by the family after the video of Fahir went viral last week.
He revealed on July 25 that Fahir has a cyst on his brain with symptoms “worsening overnight”.
What has Akhmed Yakoob said about the Manchester Airport incident?
Yakoob released a video on Instagram on the night of Sunday, July 28 saying: “After consulting with the family I have decided for now to step aside and I have recommended the family to a lawyer”.
He claimed that the widespread attention surrounding the case was “unfair on the Greater Manchester Police and the family”.
Yakoob added: “I will be keeping a close eye on this.
“I would like to say that I am not for violence whether it’s from police officers or it’s from civilians, always remember that.”
Yakoob’s surprise announcement came just hours after he made a statement saying “nothing can justify” the actions shown in the video.
He said: “After reviewing the CCTV footage from Manchester Airport, nothing can justify a kick to the head to a defenceless man and a stomp to the head.
“Those are my views. These officers are highly trained, they shouldn’t be losing control or seeing red.”