Canadian Man Found Guilty of Committing Act of Terrorism Transcending National Boundaries and Other Offenses

A federal jury in Flint, Michigan, today found Amor M. Ftouhi, 51, of Quebec, Canada, guilty of three crimes, including an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, in conjunction with an attack on Bishop Airport officer on June 21, 2017, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider. 

Schneider was joined in the announcement by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and Timothy R. Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“Ftouhi conducted research in Canada and entered our country with a plan to obtain a weapon and kill American police officers. With today’s guilty verdict, he will be held accountable for his brutal knife attack on an airport police officer in Flint,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “I want to thank the prosecutors and law enforcement partners who made this result possible. The National Security Division remains committed to holding accountable all who seek to carry out terrorist attacks on our soil and target our men and women in uniform.”

“Investigating and prosecuting terrorists remains the Justice Department’s highest priority,” stated United States Attorney Matthew Schneider.  “The Assistant United States Attorneys who prosecuted this case to trial, as well as our federal and state law enforcement partners, worked tirelessly to investigate this case and bring this would-be murderer to justice.”

“Protecting our citizens and nation from terrorist attack remains the top priority of the FBI,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Slater, Detroit Division of the FBI. “Today’s conviction is the result of hard work conducted by the men and women of the FBI, our partner agencies on the FBI Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force, and our foreign partners in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I would also like to acknowledge the heroic actions of civilian and law enforcement officers who were present on the day of the attack and likely saved Lt. Neville’s life.”

According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Ftouhi entered the United States from Canada on a “mission” for the purpose of killing American police officers in the United States.  Before entering the United States on June 16, 2017, while in Canada, Mr. Ftouhi conducted online research of American gun laws and for gun shows in Michigan.  Mr. Ftouhi subsequently traveled to Michigan where he was unsuccessful in repeated attempts to purchase a gun and purchased a knife instead.  On June 20, 2017, Mr. Ftouhi walked up to the victim, who is a lieutenant with the Flint Bishop Airport police and was in full uniform, and stabbed the police officer in the neck twice with a knife.  Mr. Ftouhi referenced killings in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and yelled “Allahu Akbar.”  After his arrest, Mr. Ftouhi told law enforcement that he was a “soldier of Allah,” subscribed to the ideology of Al Qaeda and Usama bin Laden and that his plan had been to kill the victim, steal his gun, and kill other police officers in the airport.    

The charges carry a statutory maximum penalty of up to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled before Matthew F. Leitman for March 7, 2019 at 9:30 a.m.

This investigation was conducted by the Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is led by the FBI with the assistance of the FBI Flint Resident Agency, the Michigan State Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.   Additional assistance has been provided by the Flint Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cathleen M. Corken, Jules DePorres and Craig Wininger of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan with the assistance of the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.