First responders honored for bravery in Flint airport attack

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Seven Flint airport employees were honored Tuesday for their bravery when a terrorist attacked an office in June.

The Bishop International Airport Authority presented the resolutions for the employees' responses during an event on June 21, when Lt. Jeffrey Neville was attacked by 49-year-old Amor Ftouhi of Montreal. The Canadian man from Tunisia shouted in Arabic before stabbing a police officer in the neck at the airport, and made references to people being killed overseas during the attack.

Police officer wounded in stabbing at Bishop International Airport in Flint

The criminal complaint says Ftouhi stabbed Neville with a large knife after yelling "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great." According to the FBI, Ftouhi said something similar to "you have killed people in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die."

Neville recovered at a local hospital after undergoing surgery.

Among those honored were Lt. Jeffrey Neville, Maintainer, Richard Krul, Public Safety Officer Lt. Dan Owen, Chief Christopher Miller, and Public Safety Officers Chris Curnow, Michael Chilson and Christopher Tolan for their brave responses.

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The Airport Authority said these employees went beyond the call of duty, putting their lives at risk to protect their coworkers, as well as the public.

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“The Board is honored to be recognizing these members of our airport family, who put duty over self," said Airport Board Chairperson Winfield Cooper III.