‘Wider plot’ not likely in airport stabbing
Suspect, 49, lived with wife and kids in Montreal
FLINT, MICH.— The man charged with stabbing a police officer at the Flint airport in a possible act of terrorism lived quietly with his family at a Montreal apartment complex where he also worked informally as a parttime caretaker of the property, his landlord said Thursday.
Amor Ftouhi, 49, kept the building stairwells clean and always paid his rent on time, Luciano Piazza told The Associated Press.
Ftouhi, who lived in a two-bedroom apartment with his wife and teenage children, was “a good person” and “never made any trouble,” Piazza said.
Montreal police spokesperson Benoit Boiselle said officers were assisting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the search of an apartment on behalf of an FBI request.
Three people staying at the residence had been taken in for questioning, Boiselle said.
Investigators are working to learn more about Ftouhi, whom they describe as a lone-wolf attacker who made his way from Canada to the seemingly random destination of Flint, a struggling Michigan city once known for its sprawling General Motors factories, but now better known for lead-tainted water.
The FBI says the suspect tried unsuccessfully to buy a gun while in the U.S. for five days. David Gelios, head of the FBI in Detroit, made the disclosure Thursday during a news conference. He did not elaborate.
Acting U.S. Attorney Dan Lemisch says more charges are coming in the days ahead. Ftouhi is in custody until a bond hearing Wednesday.
The attack Wednesday at Bishop International Airport, about 80 kilometres northwest of Detroit, was being investigated as an act of terrorism, but authorities said they have no indication that the suspect was involved in a “wider plot,” Gelios said.
Ftouhi, a dual citizen of Canada and Tunisia, stabbed airport police Lt. Jeff Neville with a large knife after yelling “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is great.”
“At this time, we view him as a lonewolf attacker,” Gelios said. “We have no information to suggest any training.”
The suspect appeared in federal court in Flint to hear the charge and will get a court-appointed attorney.