Authorities said Ftouhi had expressed "hatred for the United States" during questioning in custody, and were conducting joint operations in Canada and the U.S. in the wake of the stabbing.
Ftouhi spent some time in public, unsecured areas of the airport before going to a restroom where he dropped two bags before attacking the officer with a 12-inch knife that had an 8-inch serrated blade, Gelios said.
"The FBI, with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, is jointly investigating this incident to determine the nature and motive for the attack", the bureau said in an earlier statement, according to WEYI. Hs condition has since been upgraded to stable after he underwent surgery.
The FBI said it is investigating as an "act of terrorism" a knife attack on a MI airport police officer on Wednesday by a man yelling "Allahu Akbar".
President Donald Trump has reportedly been briefed on the attack but has not yet commented.
Neville was initially reported to be in critical condition, but Michigan State Police have since said that he is stable.
Police said a suspect has been taken into custody.
Lt Shaw said "everything is on the table" as far as motive is concerned, but cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
The FBI said that they are investigating the stabbing as an "act of terrorism", notes CNN. "He is now second in command with airport police at Bishop", reported ABC 12. The agency went on to add that its too early to determine if the attack was an act of terrorism.
Trump tweets: China's help on North Korea not enough
The North Korean government has vowed to develop a nuclear-tipped intercontinental missile capable of hitting the USA mainland. But in an April interview with CBS News , he said it, "could have been China, could have been a lot of different groups".
Witnesses described seeing the suspect led away in handcuffs by police, Mr Neville bleeding and a knife on the ground.
Witness Ken Brown told The Flint Journal that he was dropping off his daughter at the airport and saw the officer after he was stabbed.
"At this time we view him as a lone-wolf attacker", Gelios said.
Cherie Carpenter, who was awaiting a flight to Texas to see her new grandchild, told a local TV station she saw the attacker being led away in handcuffs.
The suspect was in custody, according to a press release from Flint City Hall, where security had been increased as a precaution.
Flint is about 80km northwest of Detroit.
He allegedly stabbed a uniformed police officer in the neck Wednesday morning at Bishop International Airport, prompting an evacuation and shutdown of the airport.
"(P) lease keep the attacked officer in your thoughts & prayers", Snyder said on Twitter. About 800,000 passengers took flights through Bishop a year ago, according to statistics from the airport.
"All passengers are safe and are being evacuated at this time".
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