A police officer was stabbed Wednesday morning during a possible terrorist attack at a Flint airport.
The FBI is investigating the motive behind the attack at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan. Witnesses said the attacker shouted “Allahu akbar” before stabbing the officer, raising concerns that the attack was terror-related, NBC reported.
The suspect is reportedly in custody, but law enforcement officials have not released the identity of the attacker, though they did say the suspect is from Quebec and has a Canadian passport.
The FBI is leading the investigation and said it was too early to determine motivation for the attack.
“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.
The police officer, identified as Lt. Jeff Neville, is in stable, but critical condition after being stabbed in the neck and back at about 9 a.m., Michigan State Police confirmed.
No one else was injured, but the airport was shut down so the FBI could conduct a thorough investigation of the facility. K-9 units were seen outside the airport.
Bishop International Airport’s Facebook page posted that all travelers inside the airport were safely evacuated.
As of 1:30 p.m. the airport was still closed and officials said it would remain closed until further notice.
Details on the incident are still emerging.
“Right now we are still awaiting more information about the situation at Bishop Airport this morning,” Mayor Karen Weaver said in a statement to CNN. “My thoughts and prayers are with all of our law enforcement officers who work to service and protect us each and every day.”
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder responded to the incident with words of support for the wounded officer.
“As we wait to learn more about the incident at Bishop Airport, please keep the attacked officer in your thoughts & prayers,” Snyder said via Twitter.
As we wait to learn more about the incident at Bishop Airport, please keep the attacked officer in your thoughts & prayers.
— Governor Rick Snyder (@onetoughnerd) June 21, 2017
Neville was a member of the airport’s police department, which employs six full-time and six part-time police officers. Bishop International Airport is considered a small airport and it served about 800,000 passengers last year, according to the airport’s data.
This story is developing. Please check back for more updates.
