The veteran police officer who was repeatedly stabbed during Wednesday's terrorist attack at a Michigan airport was able to wrestle the Tunisian assailant to the ground, despite bleeding profusely from wounds in his neck.

Amor Ftouhi, 49, a resident of Montreal, Canada, was immediately taken into custody after knifing airport police Lt. Jeff Neville at Bishop International Airport in Flint while yelling, 'Allahu Akbar.'

A criminal complaint charging him with committing violence at an airport says Ftouhi asked an officer who subdued him why he didn't kill him.

The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism, but authorities are treating Ftouhl at this time as a 'lone-wolf attacker', said FBI Special Agent in Charge David Gelios.

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Hero cop: Lt. Jeff Neville (left) was said to have bravely fought Amor Ftouhl (right) when the man attacked him with a knife at the Flint, Michigan airport on Wednesday

Neville was at his post at the top of a set of escalators just before 10am when he was attacked from behind by a man wielding a knife similar to a Bowie knife. Above, the airport Wednesday

The FBI is reportedly investigating the stabbing as a 'possible act of terror'. Above, the airport on Wednesday

Witnesses said that the weapon that the attacker used was similar to a Bowie knife, like the one above

Airport police Chief Chris Miller said of Neville, a 16-year law enforcement veteran, that he 'fought him to the end,' managing to stop the stabbing and bring Ftouhi to the ground as the chief and other officers rushed to his aid.

Witnesses described seeing the suspect being led away as Neville was gushing blood, a serrated 12-inch knife lying on the ground.

'The cop was on his hands and knees bleeding from his neck,' Ken Brown told The Flint Journal. 'I said they need to get him a towel.'

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.

Neville was in satisfactory condition after initially being in critical condition, Miller said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference where the charge against Ftouhi was announced.

Ftouhi appeared in federal court in Flint to hear the charge and will get a court-appointed attorney. A court spokesman says Ftouhi will remain in custody until a bond hearing next Wednesday.

The suspect, who is married and has children, is being charged with violence at an international airport, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

More charges could be filed as prosecutors take the case to a grand jury seeking an indictment.

Police dogs search cars in a parking lot at Bishop International Airport, Wednesday morning, June 21, 2017, in Flint, Michigan

A police dog and his handler patrol a different part of the airport parking lot on Thursday

Flint, Michigan, Mayor Karen Weaver, left, listens to FBI officials speak, standing alongside Flint Police Chief Tim Johnson at Bishop International Airport in Flint on Wednesday

The FBI said Ftouhi, who reportedly has dual citizenship in Canada and Tunisia, has 'a hatred of the US' and yelled about Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan while he carried out his attack.

Authorities also gave more details about Ftouhi's movements before he tried to murder Lt. Jeff Neville by stabbing him in the neck.

Officials say Ftouhi, who lives in Quebec, legally crossed into the US on June 16 via Lake Champlain in New York.

According to Le Journal De Montreal he is originally from Tunisia and his picture was released to Fox 2 Detroit.

On Wednesday morning, he arrived at the Flint airport and walked around a bit - never going past security into the terminals.

They say he spent some time on the first level of the airport, before going upstairs to a restaurant. He then went into a bathroom, dropped his baggage there and then came back out to attack Neville.

At 10am, Ftouhi came up to Lt Neville and stabbed him in the neck with a 12-inch knife equipped with an 8-inch serrated blade while yelling 'Allahu Akbar'.

A police officer stands outside the home of Amor Ftouhi, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 21

Police investigators talk outside the home of Ftouhi. Three people staying at the residence had been taken in for questioning

The building landlord in Montreal said Ftouhi was not a difficult tenant

The saying means 'God is great' in Arabic, and is often shouted by Islamic terrorists before attacks or suicide bombings.

The FBI spokesman also said that Ftouhi said something to the extent of 'you have killed people in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and you're all going to die'. He added that it was clear the Ftouhi had a 'hatred for the U.S.'

Ftouhi was taken into custody within a minute of the attack.

Police in Canada were searching a Montreal apartment. Montreal police spokesman Benoit Boiselle said officers with their department were assisting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the search on behalf of an FBI request.

Boiselle said three people staying at the residence had been taken in for questioning.

Luciano Piazza, the building landlord, said Ftouhi was not a difficult tenant.

'I never had any problems with him,' Piazza said. 'I'm really surprised. I would see him at least once a month, when he paid his rent.'

Authorities said there's no indication that Ftouhi was connected to any international terror organization, or that he was part of any wider plot.

'At this time we view him as a lone-wolf attacker,' Gelios said. 'We have no information to suggest any training.'

Sources told NBC 25/Fox 66 that Ftouhi tried to buy a gun before the attack, but was denied one so he bought a knife instead. The whole incident inside the airport was caught on video, the sources added.

Officials also offered an update on Neville's condition, saying he was 'resting comfortably' at a hospital.

He was hospitalized after the incident in critical condition, but his condition improved after undergoing surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Neville (pictured left and right) was retired from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office

A police officer sets up a flare to block the turn lane into Bishop International Airport on Wednesday

Neville has worked as an officer at the airport since 2001. He is currently second in command with the airport police.

Before joining the airport, he worked for two decades at the Genessee Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Robert Pickell told WJRT that Neville was an 'amazing deputy'.

Genesee County Commissioner Mark Young, a friend of Neville's, said Neville left that department in 1997 as a lieutenant after serving in various capacities with the sheriff's office including in the jail, on road patrol and as a court officer.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump was briefed on the stabbing, and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he was 'proud of the swift response' by authorities from both the U.S. and Canada.