Police Officer Hospitalized in Critical Condition Following Stabbing at FNT

The FBI is reportedly investigating Wednesday morning’s attack on a police officer at the Flint, Michigan airport as a possible act of terror.

As of late afternoon, Bishop International Airport (FNT) remains closed to passengers following a brutal knife attack targeting a police officer. According to Michigan State police, the FBI has taken the lead on the investigation. Several media outlets are reporting that federal agents are now exploring the possibility that the airport stabbing was an act of terrorism.

Michigan State Police’s Metro Detroit branch initially reported on Twitter that the officer involved in the attack was listed in critical condition at a nearby hospital. Since then, the officer’s condition has been upgraded to stable. According to some passengers in the area at the time of the attack, the airport police officer, later identified as Lieutenant Jeff Neville, was stabbed in the neck and the suspect was taken into custody soon after. No other injuries have been reported at this time.

The MSP is on scene at Bishop Airport. The officer is in critical condition Please keep the officer in your prayers. The airport is closed pic.twitter.com/QKjaprVObw

— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) June 21, 2017

FNT officials took to social media to confirm that travelers remained unharmed in the wake of the troubling incident. “An airport police officer has been injured,” airport officials announced on Facebook shortly after 10 am Wednesday morning. “All passengers are safe and are being evacuated at this time.”

The airport, located less than 50 miles from the metro-Detroit area, was evacuated as events quickly unfolded. “The cop was on his hands and knees bleeding from his neck,” eyewitness Ken Brown told The Flint Journal. ”I said they need to get him a towel.” According to Brown, the suspect was handcuffed steps from the wounded officer just outside of the terminal doors.

Late this afternoon, NBC News reported that the suspect is a Canadian national from Quebec. According to the network, the attacker is alleged to have shouted, “Allahu Akbar” before stabbing the police officer several times.

“We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer, but it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in a statement released this afternoon.

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