By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
DETROIT — Amor M. Ftouhi, 49, the Montreal man charged with stabbing an airport police officer in the neck at the Flint airport on Wednesday, was unsuccessful in an attempt to purchase a gun in the U.S., but did buy a knife here, the FBI says.
FBI’s David P. Gelios
David P. Gelios, head of the Detroit FBI, spoke Thursday about the weapons, but declined to give specifics at a downtown Detroit press conference. Fox 2’s M.L. Elrick reports the attacker tried to buy a gun at the Gilbraltar Trade Center in Mt. Clemens. WXYZ reports that he was turned away because of his citizenship.
Gelios said Ftouhi entered the U.S. legally by car at Lake Champlain, N.Y., on June 16 and was in Michigan last Sunday — two days later.
“I can’t say definitely he wasn’t here sooner, but we show activity in Michigan on June 18,” said Gelios, who conducted the press conference with acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch to talk about the attack on airport officer Lt. Jeff Neville, who is in stable condition.
He said that Ftouhi had not been flagged or monitored at any time by the FBI or Canadian authorities.
“We continue to have no information that suggests Ftouhi’s attack on Lt. Neville was part of a wider plot, nor do we have any indication he was aided in this incident or had any associates associated to this incident.
Why Flint’s airport?
Gelios said the FBI is investigating that,and said he was looking for an international airport and he apparently picked the Bishop International Airport.
Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Lemisch
Ftouhi had no ticket to travel and had left his car parked at the Flint airport, where the FBI examined its contents.
Additional charges are likely, says Acting U.S. Attorney Lemisch. He gave no details, but suggested terrorism charges could come if the evidence points that way.
Ftouhi had yelled “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great” in Arabic) as he carried out the attack, federal authorities say.
