Amor Ftohui

FLINT, MI - The 50-year-old man suspected of stabbing Officer Jeff Neville in June 2017 at Bishop International Airport in Flint is now charged with committing an international act of terror.

Amor M. Ftouhi, a dual citizen of Canada and Tunisia, was charged in an indictment on Wednesday, March 21, with one count of committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider for the Eastern District of Michigan said the additional charge shows Ftouhi will be punished "to the fullest extent of the law" and that the government will "vigorously prosecute terrorists who seek to harm the people of Michigan."

Ftouhi was previously indicted on one count of violence at an international airport and a charge of interference with airport security.

He faces the potential of a life sentence in prison.

Prior to the attack, Ftouhi had attempted to purchase a gun after researching gun laws and searching for gun shows in the state. However, prosecutors say he was denied the ability to purchase a gun at a Mount Clemens gun show.

Ftouhi stabbed Neville with a large knife while shouting "Allahu Akbar" and referencing killings in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq just four days after entering the United State from Canada, federal prosecutors claim.

Neville survived the attack.

Prosecutors claim he told law enforcement that he was a "soldier of Allah" and subscribed to the ideology of terrorist organization al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, according to the indictment.

Ftouhi will be arraigned on the incident in federal court in Flint.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with assistance from the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.