A Canadian man of Tunisian origin suspected of stabbing an American police officer at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday morning, had attempted to buy a gun in the United States prior to the attack but was unsuccessful and instead bought a long knife, FBI officials said Thursday.
Amor Ftouhi, who has been living in Montreal and holds dual Tunisian and Canadian citizenship, was charged on Wednesday with violence at an international airport. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
“The investigation continues to determine the full extent of his planning and his actions and whether he committed other crimes, including a federal terrorism offence,” Daniel Lemish, Acting U.S. Attorney of Michigan, told reporters Thursday.
Unprovoked attack
Investigators say the suspect stabbed police Lt. Jeff Neville in the neck with a long knife, and shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is great” in Arabic) during the attack. He also reportedly said something to the effect of: “You have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die.”
Neville was taken to hospital in critical condition, but after an emergency surgery his status has been upgraded to stable and his condition is improving, said Lemish.
However, several questions remain as to what prompted the 49-year-old father of three to drive nearly 1,000 kilometres from Montreal to Flint to carry out the attack.
Not on the radar
“Based on the information we’ve been able to identify thus far, he was neither on the radar of Canadian authorities or FBI or United States authorities,” said David Gelios, the FBI special agent in charge of the investigation.
Gelios said Ftouhi entered the U.S. legally on June 16 via the land border crossing in Champlain, New York. U.S. authorities believe Ftouhi arrived in Michigan on June 18, Gelios said.
“I’m not going to get into why he chose Flint other than he did want to identify an international airport and Flint by name alone is known as International Airport,” Gelios said.
Cleared for FAST pass
Facebook profile under Ftouhi’s name lists his birth place as Tunis, Tunisia. It claims Ftouhi studied at the Faculty of social sciences at the University of Tunis and at Sullivan College in Montreal.
According to Ftouhi’s online CV, he sought employment as a truck driver and was even a FAST pass holder.
The Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program is a commercial clearance program designed to expedite travel across the Canada-U.S. border for pre-cleared commercial drivers, carriers and importers, according to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and United States Customs and Border Protection that run the joint program.
“All FAST program participants (drivers, carriers and importers) must undergo a risk assessment,” says the CBSA website. “FAST-approved participants are identified as low risk, which enables the CBSA to focus its resources and security efforts on travellers of high or unknown risk.”
Ftouhi’s social media accounts did not contain any jihadist or extremist propaganda, according to Fadi Harouni, a journalist with the Arabic language service of Radio Canada International, who examined posts on Ftouhi’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
A lone wolf attack?
FBI investigators have conducted over 20 interviews with witnesses and expect to speak to even more people, Gelios said. Investigators have also carried out several search warrants.
One of the searches was conducted on the suspect’s vehicle, which was left in the airport’s parking lot.
Gelios said preliminary evidence indicates the suspect acted alone and there is “nothing to suggest that Fthouhi’s attack on Lt. Neville was part of a wider plot.”
“Nor do we have any indication that he was aided in this incident or had associates, associated to this incident,” Gelios said.
Ftouhi made his first appearance on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Flint before U.S. Judge Magistrate Judge Stephanie Davis, Lemish said.
Ftouhi was ordered temporarily detained without bond and his next hearing will be on June 28, Lemish said. He has been given access to a legal aid lawyer from the Federal Defender’s Office.
Investigation in Canada
U.S. authorities thanked their Canadian counterparts for their role in the investigation.
On Wednesday afternoon, Canadian police descended on Ftouhi’s apartment on Bélair Street in Montreal’s St-Michel neighbourhood that he shared with his wife and three children.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the country’s national police force which took charge of the investigation in Canada, said the incident in Flint triggered the activation of its Counter Terrorism Police Management Structure.
However, there was no indication of any imminent threat in Canada, said RCMP Sgt. Harold Pfleiderer.
Police have questioned three people related to Ftouhi.
‘A good person’
Neighbours said they were shocked by allegations against Ftouhi and described him as a “good person” and quiet family man.
Luciano Piazza, who has owned the building for 55 years and is Ftouhi’s landlord, told CBC News he was “very surprised” to hear his tenant is the suspect.
“He’s a good person, very quiet. I’ve never had any problems with him,” Piazza told CBC’s Sarah Leavitt, adding Ftouhi and his family moved in more than five years ago.
“They’re really good people.”
With files from Sarah Leavitt, Stephen Smith and Stephen Rukavina
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