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Police Officer Stabbed at Michigan Airport in ‘Act of Terrorism’ Police Officer Stabbed at Michigan Airport in ‘Act of Terrorism’
(about 2 hours later)
A 50-year-old Canadian man stabbed a transit police officer in the neck and back on Wednesday morning at an airport in Flint, Mich., in what the authorities called an “act of terrorism.” A 50-year-old Canadian man shouted “Allahu akbar” and plunged a 12-inch knife into the neck of a police officer on Wednesday morning at an airport in Flint, Mich., in what the authorities called an “act of terrorism.”
The officer, Lt. Jeff Neville, was in satisfactory condition on Wednesday evening, an official said. The officer, Lt. Jeff Neville, was in satisfactory condition on Wednesday evening, an airport official said. A law enforcement official said four people helped catch the suspect, adding that Lieutenant Neville himself fought back.
The suspect, who was taken into custody at the airport and questioned, was later identified as Amor Ftouhi, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s special agent in charge, David Gelios, said at a news conference. Mr. Ftouhi was charged with violence at an international airport. The suspect, who was taken into custody and questioned at the airport, Bishop International, was later identified as Amor M. Ftouhi, according to the F.B.I.’s special agent in charge, David P. Gelios. Mr. Ftouhi was charged with violence at an international airport, Mr. Gelios said at a news conference.
Mr. Gelios also confirmed that the man shouted “Allahu akbar” (Arabic for “God is great”) before stabbing the officer with a 12-inch knife. Mr. Gelios also confirmed that the man shouted the Arabic words, which mean “God is great,” before stabbing the officer around 9:45 a.m. Mr. Ftouhi also yelled, “You have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die,” Mr. Gelios said. After being subdued, Mr. Ftouhi asked Lieutenant Neville why he had not killed him, according to court records. The authorities said they believed that the man had acted alone and that they had no indication that he had been trained by any terrorist group.
“Suffice it to say, he has a hatred for the United States and a variety of other things that in part motivated him to come to the airport today and conduct this act of violence,” Special Agent Gelios said. “Suffice it to say, he has a hatred for the United States and a variety of other things that in part motivated him to come to the airport today and conduct this act of violence,” Mr. Gelios said.
The authorities said that Mr. Ftouhi had legally entered the United States on Friday in New York. The authorities said that Mr. Ftouhi had legally entered the United States on Friday at Lake Champlain before making his way to Flint. He arrived at the airport Wednesday morning, Mr. Gelios said. Mr. Ftouhi entered on the first level around 8:52 a.m. with a duffel bag and satchel, law enforcement officials said. About 20 minutes later, he rode up an escalator and spent several minutes in a restaurant, the officials said.
Michigan’s governor, Rick Snyder, offered his thoughts and prayers to Lieutenant Neville on Twitter, and later thanked emergency medical workers at the airport. He then left the restaurant and entered a bathroom with his baggage, Mr. Gelios said. He dropped both bags before emerging, then pulled out the knife, yelled “Allahu akbar,” and stabbed Lieutenant Neville in the neck, Mr. Gelios said.
The airport is just minutes by car from the city center, and police officers were posted at City Hall as a precautionary measure after the stabbing, local reports said. The F.B.I. said that the attack was believed to be an isolated incident and that it had no “specific, credible information” of a threat to the Flint community. People arrived almost immediately to help subdue the suspect, officials said. “There were some acts of heroism here because if he had been able to get free and attack other people, we would be talking about much greater harm today,” said Christopher Miller, director of public safety at Bishop International Airport.
The suspect could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the crime, though additional charges could arise, Mr. Gelios said. The authorities said they interviewed Mr. Ftouhi at length.
On Wednesday evening, local news reports said that the police were conducting a raid on an apartment building in the St.-Michel neighborhood of Montreal in connection with the attack in Flint. A resident described the neighborhood as having a mix of people of different ethnicities.
In a statement on Wednesday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said: “I want to assure all our law enforcement across the nation, any attack on someone who serves and protects our citizens will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I am proud of the swift response from the F.B.I. and our federal prosecutors and their partnership with local police and the Canadian authorities. Our prayers are with the officer and his family for a full recovery.”
Canadian law enforcement officials condemned the “heinous and cowardly attack” and pledged cooperation with their counterparts in the United States.