A law enforcement official says it’s too early to determine whether or not an attack on a police officer at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Mich., was an act of terror.
FBI spokesperson Timothy Wiley said investigators are still working to determine the motivation behind the stabbing that sent the officer to hospital in critical condition.
“We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer,” said the FBI in a statement. “But it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism.”
Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw says one person is in custody and police believe nobody else was involved in the incident.
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
Shaw identified the officer who was stabbed as Lt. Jeff Neville with the airport police. He says Neville’s condition also has been upgraded from critical to stable condition.
Bishop International Airport posted on Facebook that passengers were safe and were being told to check for flight delays or cancellations.
Ken Brown told the Flint Journal newspaper he was dropping off his daughter at the airport and saw the officer bleeding from his neck. He says he saw a man detained by police and a knife on the ground.
“The cop was on his hands and knees bleeding from his neck,” Brown said. “I said they need to get him a towel.”
The FBI has not yet determined whether the attack was an act of terrorism but has the suspected attacker in custody. (Shannon Millard/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP)
Cherie Carpenter, who was awaiting a flight to Texas to see her new grandchild, told Flint TV station WJRT she saw the attacker being led away in handcuffs. She described the man in custody as appearing “blank, just totally blank.”
Flint is about 80 km northwest of Detroit.
