A Canadian man stabbed a police officer in the neck with a 12-inch knife at Michigan’s Bishop International Airport in what officials are calling “an act of terrorism,” The New York Timesreports. The suspect has been identified as 50-year-old Amor M. Ftouhi, who shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” prior to stabbing Lt. Jeff Neville on Wednesday morning. Ftouhi now faces the possibility of 20 years in prison, as well as other charges.
As of Wednesday evening, Lt. Neville is in “satisfactory condition” and was even strong enough to fight back when Ftouhi attacked him. Four people helped capture Ftouhi, who was questioned and later charged with “violence at an international airport,” according to the FBI’s special agent in charge, David P. Gelios. Gelios’s team believes that Ftouhi did not have partners in the act and that a terrorist group likely hadn’t trained him.
According to authorities, Ftouhi entered the country through Lake Champlain last week, arriving at the airport Wednesday morning. After spending time in a restaurant, he went into a bathroom with his luggage, dropped his bags, and pulled out a knife. Ftouhi then attacked Lt. Neville at approximately 9:45. In addition to screaming, “Allahu akbar,” Ftouhi yelled, “You have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die.” Luckily, surrounding people were quick to intervene, preventing any others from being harmed.
“Suffice it to say, [Ftouhi] 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,” Gelios said at a news conference.
News reports on Wednesday evening state that police are currently conducting a raid on a Montreal apartment building that is allegedly connected to the airport attack.