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Jury convicts Amor Ftouhi of terrorism in Flint airport stabbing

Posted at 2:03 PM, Nov 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-13 16:39:17-05

A jury has convicted Amor Ftouhi of terrorism charges for the stabbing of a police officer at Flint Bishop International Airport in 2017.

Fthouhi, a native of Tunisia who was living in Canada, was charged with committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, committing an act of violence at an international airport and interference with airport security.

The jury was given the case on Tuesday and had a decision just over an hour later. His trial began a week ago with jury selection.

In June 2017, Ftouhi allegedly entered the Flint airport and stabbed Lt. Jeff Neville while yelling "Allahu Akhbar," which is Arabic for "God is great." Neville did survive the attack.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ftouhi entered the U.S. from Canada, and on June 16, 2017, he researched gun laws in America and gun shows in Michigan. 

He then traveled to Michigan but was unable to purchase a gun, so he bought a knife instead. On June 20, 2017, he then walked up to Neville and tabbed him.

After the attack, Ftouhi told law enforcement agents that he was a "soldier of Allah" and that he was a follower of al-Qaeda and Usama bin Laden.

Ftouhi faces a maximum of life in prison.