|
Suspect in Michigan airport stabbing to
make court appearance
Send a link to a friend
 [June 28, 2017]
By Steve Friess
FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) - A man charged with
stabbing an airport police officer in an attack federal investigators
are probing as an act of terrorism is expected to appear in a Michigan
federal court on Wednesday.
Amor Ftouhi, 49, of Quebec, Canada, was charged in federal court with
violence at an international airport for stabbing officer Jeff Neville
at the Bishop International Airport in Flint on June 21. Neville
underwent surgery and has left the hospital, local media reported.
Ftouhi, originally from Tunisia and who holds dual Tunisian-Canadian
citizenship, is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge
Stephanie Dawkins Davis at the federal courthouse in Flint on Wednesday
morning.
Ftouhi legally entered the United States from Lake Champlain, New York,
on June 16 before making his way to Flint, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation said. Officials said Ftouhi targeted a city with an
international airport, but declined to say why Flint was chosen.
Ftouhi, who was not on the radar of U.S. or Canadian authorities before
the attack, was in Michigan as early as June 18, the FBI said. U.S. and
Canadian investigators are probing his travel before the attack.
According to the criminal complaint, Ftouhi yelled in Arabic "Allahu
akbar" (God is greatest) before stabbing Neville.
[to top of second column] |
Amor Ftouhi, arrested in connection with the stabbing of a police
officer at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, is shown
in this photo released by the FBI in Flint, Michigan, U.S., June 22,
2017. FBI/Handout via REUTERS
He also said something to the effect of "You have killed people in
Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die," the
complaint said.
Ftouhi attempted to buy a gun before the attack, but was unable to
do so, the FBI said.
FBI officials declined to provide details on where Ftouhi attempted
to buy the gun or what type of gun he tried to purchase. The
12-inch, serrated knife Ftouhi used in the attack was bought in the
United States.
(Additional reporting and writing by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago;
Editing by Andrew Hay)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
