The incident yesterday triggered panic on the airport's vast plaza, which is criss-crossed by thousands of people every day making their way to and from the departures and arrivals halls.
"It was the case of a confused man," spokesman Komba Steven told AFP. "This is not a terror attack for us."
The 29-year-old is in an Amsterdam hospital, Steven said, adding that the man appeared to have acted alone.
Meanwhile, the Dutch justice ministry said it had stripped the Dutch nationality of two brothers convicted for terrorist crimes and living in the Rotterdam region. It did not specify their country of origin.