Montreal man accused in U.S. airport stabbing faces new terrorism charge

FLINT, Mich. – U.S. federal prosecutors have added a terrorism charge to the case of a Montreal man who is accused of stabbing a police officer at a Michigan airport in June.

Amor Ftouhi, a native of Tunisia, has been charged with stabbing an officer in the neck at Flint’s Bishop International Airport while yelling “Allahu Akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is great.”

The U.S. government added a charge Wednesday of committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. The maximum penalty is life in prison.

A message seeking comment was left for Ftouhi’s lawyer.

Officials say Ftouhi legally entered the U.S. at Champlain, N.Y., on June 16. Five days later, investigators say he arrived at the Flint airport by van and stabbed Lt. Jeff Neville, who survived.

In November, a judge agreed to extend important deadlines while federal investigators and defence lawyers collect and review evidence, especially in Montreal where Ftouhi lived.