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Police officer stabbed at Michigan airport

Posted at 2:32 PM, Jun 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-21 16:40:37-04

By Shimon Prokupecz, Lauren Del Valle and Eric Levenson

FLINT, Mich.  — A police officer was stabbed in the back and neck Wednesday at an airport in Flint, Michigan, and the suspect is in custody and being questioned, according to authorities.

The police officer, identified as Lt. Jeff Neville, is in stable condition, said Lt. David Kaiser, a spokesman for the Michigan State Police. He was stabbed on the public side of Bishop International Airport’s main terminal, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

All passengers are safe and were evacuated, the airport said on Facebook. A law enforcement official said the stabbing appears to have targeted law enforcement.

The FBI said it believed the attack was an “isolated incident” and is investigating whether it was an act of terrorism.

“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.

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the attack, an administration official told CNN.

US law enforcement officials are working with Canadian authorities to learn more about the ties the suspect has to Canada, according to a law enforcement source.

A US official told CNN that, based on preliminary information, it appears the suspect has traveled between the United States and Canada multiple times.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Embassy in Washington said the Canadian government and law enforcement agencies are “engaged and are cooperating fully” with their American counterparts.

The airport is closed until further notice.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver responded to the stabbing with words of support for officers.

“(P)lease keep the attacked officer in your thoughts & prayers,” Snyder said on Twitter.

“My thoughts and prayers are with all of our law enforcement officers who work to service and protect us each and every day,” Weaver said in a statement.

The airport’s Police Department has six full-time and six part-time police officers. About 800,000 passengers took flights through Bishop last year, according to statistics from the airport.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Rene Marsh and Kristina Sgueglia contributed to this report.