NEW DELHI — U.S. Customs officials dispute claims that a Bollywood superstar was detained for two hours at a New Jersey airport.
Shah Rukh Khan told the Press Trust of India news agency that he was detained because his name came up on a computer alert list after he arrived Friday afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The news agency said the 44-year-old Kahn was later let go after embassy officials intervened.
U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection spokesman Elmer Camacho said Khan was questioned as part of the agency's routine process to screen foreign travelers. He said the process took 66 minutes and Kahn was not detained.
Khan is in the U.S. to promote "My Name Is Khan," a film about racial profiling.
"I told them I am a movie star," Khan was quoted as saying.
People are also reading…
The reported detention made top news on TV stations in India.
Khan said he messaged a lawmaker in India who asked the Indian Embassy in Washington to seek his release. Khan was let go after embassy officials intervened, the agency said.
In New Delhi, U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said the U.S. Embassy was trying to "ascertain the facts of the case — to understand what took place."
"Shah Rukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films," Roemer said Saturday.
