FBI Says Bishop Airport Stabbing Was Terror Act, Suspect Appears In Court [Video]

The shocking stabbing at Flint's Bishop International Airport has officially been declared an act of terror by the FBI.

The FBI made the announcement last night after concluding their initial investigation into the stabbing.  The suspect, Amor Ftouhi, also appeared in federal court yesterday, and will be held until his bond hearing next Wednesday.

The events yesterday came as a shock to everyone in Flint, and around the country.  It started just before 10am, when Ftouhi stabbed Lt. Jeff Neville in the neck with a large knife.  You can hear the audio from the 911 call that came from Bishop below.

 WNEM TV 5

The good news is that Neville is reportedly in stable condition, and is being hailed as a hero.

There is no doubt that this will be an ongoing story, with many breaking developments, but right now authorities are saying that they believe it was an isolated incident.  The big worry in the hours following the stabbing was that this was part of a bigger attack.  Flint City Hall was placed on lock down as a precaution.

At the heart of the attack is the fact that Ftouhi reportedly yelled, "Allahu Akbar" as he stabbed Neville.  The Flint Islamic Center released the following statement concerning the stabbing.

First and foremost, as a faith community, we pray for the full and speedy recovery of Lt. Jeff Neville, and offer any assistance that is needed to his family during this traumatic time. We state in no uncertain terms, that there is no place in civil society for violence against anyone. Lt. Neville was on duty at the Bishop airport when he was attacked, as a law enforcement officer whose duty it is to protect all travelers and airport employees, irrespective of their race, religion or gender.

We join hands with our interfaith partners to ensure that this tragic incident does not divide us as a community. This is a time for us to come together as a community, and not allow outside forces to instigate us to turn against one another. We here in Flint are a resilient community; we understand what it means to stand together, to struggle together, to protect one another, and to overcome together.

“What happened this morning was a despicable act of violence that cannot be justified under any circumstance,” said Dr. Mohammed Saleem, president of the Management Committee at FIC. “We as the people of Flint must remain united against such senseless acts of violence against anyone, and in particular against any law enforcement officers. We will not allow others with their own political agendas to divide us.”

FIC, in collaboration with other faith communities, will be organizing a vigil to recognize the heroic act of this officer and to pray for his recovery.

There are already many anti-Muslim sentiments running wild in America today, and this event will only add fuel to the fire.  I just hope that common sense will prevail, and people won't condemn an entire religion based on the terrible actions of a few extremists.

We have to remember that isolated incidents do not represent an entire people. No matter what your race, religion, or nationality are, the only way we can beat the uprising of hate is with love.