Police Officer Stabbed at US Airport
US authorities have confirmed that they are treating the stabbing of a police officer at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday evening as a possible act of terror.
A Canadian man, originally from Tunisia, allegedly shouted phrases in Arabic before stabbing Airport Police Lieutenant, Jeff Neville, in the neck.
The attacker has been identified as 49-year-old Amor Ftouhi from Montreal, Canada.
According to the FBI, witnesses said that Ftouhi shouted “Allahu akbar”, the Arabic phrase for “God is great”, before stabbing Neville with a large knife.
The FBI said that when Ftouhi was taken into custody, he accused the US government of murder, saying, “You have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die”.
Ftouhi has been taken into custody and charged with committing violence at an airport.
While the FBI is treating this as a possible terror attack, they are not sure if Ftouhi was part of a terrorist network.
“At this time we view him as a lone-wolf attacker…We have no information to suggest any training [sic],” FBI Special Agent David Gelios said.
After the attack, which occurred at around 10pm, the airport was shut down and evacuated.
Lieutenant Neville was taken to hospital after the attack and, while he was initially reported to be in a critical condition, has made progress and is currently in a ‘satisfactory condition’.
