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

The US ambassador to India has apologised for the detention and said authorities were working to ensure it did not happen again.

In 2012, Khan was detained for 90 minutes at the White Plains airport near New York.

In 2009, he was stopped for two hours at Newark airport. He was released after India's embassy intervened.

Khan, who flew into Los Angeles on Friday, tweeted:

But, the actor added, there was a brighter side to the "detention":

Although there was no comment from immigration officials, the US State Department's assistant secretary on south and central Asian affairs, Nisha Biswal, tweeted to Khan, saying she was "sorry for the hassle", adding that US diplomats also face this situation.

Later, the US ambassador to India, Rich Verma, apologised to Khan.