Flint airport attack: Michigan officer stabbed in 'act of terrorism,' FBI says
DEVELOPING: The stabbing of a police officer at a Michigan airport on Wednesday by a Canadian citizen is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism, officials said.
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FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios said Amor Ftouhi, a 50-year-old Canadian citizen, entered Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan around 9:45 a.m. and went to a restroom before dropping both of his bags, coming out with a knife and yelling "Allahu Akbar" before stabbing Officer Jeff Neville in the neck.
Neville is currently listed as being in stable condition, according to Michigan State Police.
The FBI says the suspect is in custody and is being questioned. They are working to determine a possible motive for the attack.
Police officers gather at a terminal at Bishop International Airport, Wednesday morning, June 21, 2017, in Flint, Mich. (Dominic Adams/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
"We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer, but it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism," the FBI said in a statement.
This is believed to be an isolated incident, authorities also said.
A White House official confirmed to Fox News that President Trump has been briefed on the stabbing.
Law enforcement agencies in Canada are in touch with their U.S. counterparts and are and assisting in every way possible, Canadian Embassy spokesperson Christine Constantin told Fox News. Constantin said Canada condemns this "heinous and cowardly act," and that "our thoughts and sympathies are with the officer and his loved ones."
Ken Brown told The Flint Journal he was dropping off his daughter at the airport and saw the officer bleeding from his neck. He says he saw a man detained by police and a knife on the ground.
"The cop was on his hands and knees bleeding from his neck," Brown said. "I said they need to get him a towel."
Cherie Carpenter, who was awaiting a flight to Texas to see her new grandchild, tells Flint TV station WJRT she saw the attacker being led away in handcuffs. She described the man in custody as appearing "blank, just totally blank."
Michigan State Police talk outside Bishop International Airport, Wednesday morning, June 21, 2017, in Flint, Mich. (Shannon Millard/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
Genesee County Commissioner Mark Young, a friend of Neville, called him "an honorable man" whom he worked with at the county Sheriff's Department, according to MLive.
Neville was a lieutenant with the airport's police department, said Young, who met with the victim's family and at the hospital today
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