US immigration detains Bollywood Star Shah Rukh Khan

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has shared his frustration at being stopped by immigration officers “every damn time” he visits the US.

The actor, also known simply as SRK, was stopped at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – the third time he has been detained on arrival in the US.

He tweeted to his 20.7 million followers: “I fully understand & respect security with the way the world is, but to be detained at US immigration every damn time really really sucks.”

Senior US officials apologised to the Chennai Express star on social media, including US ambassador to India Richard Verma, who tweeted: “Sorry for the trouble at LAX @iamsrk. We are working to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Your work inspires millions, including in the US.”

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal tweeted: “Sorry for the hassle at the airport, @iamsrk – even American diplomats get pulled for extra screening!”

Khan, who has appeared in more than 80 films, including some of the biggest grossing Bollywood hits of all time, said the delay had been “a tad inconvenient”.

But he was happy to make light of his predicament, tweeting: “The brighter side is while waiting caught some really nice Pokemons.”

In 2012 Khan was stopped at an airport in White Plains, New York, and in 2009 he was detained for two hours at Newark airport.

Celebrities and top officials in India are routinely given special treatment and avoid routine security checks.

It is not clear why Khan, a Muslim, was detained or for how long.