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Prosecutors seeking life sentence for Amor Ftouhi in Flint airport stabbing

Posted at 6:03 AM, Apr 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-18 06:58:58-04

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — U.S. prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for a Canadian man who was convicted of terrorism for nearly killing a Michigan airport police officer.

Amor Ftouhi is returning to federal court on Thursday. He drove 1,000 miles from Montreal in 2017 and arrived at the airport in Flint, Michigan, where he yelled "God is great" in Arabic and repeatedly stabbed Lt. Jeff Neville.

Federal investigators say Ftouhi wanted to get Neville's gun and shoot people at the airport. But his lawyer says he wasn't attempting to create mass casualties. Joan Morgan says Ftouhi wanted to be killed so his family could collect life insurance and he could become a martyr.

Ftouhi is a native of Tunisia who moved to Canada in 2007.