LOS ANGELES, Aug 12 — Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan took to Twitter today to express his annoyance at being detained by US airport immigration authorities for the third time, saying the experience "really, really sucks”.

The last time Shah Rukh, 50, was detained by immigration officials in New York in 2012, it sparked uproar among his Indian fans who accused the US of racial profiling, and led Washington to apologise.

"I fully understand and respect security with the way the world is, but to be detained at US immigration every damn time really, really sucks,” Shah Rukh tweeted after he was pulled aside at Los Angeles airport.

"The brighter side is while waiting caught some really nice Pokemons”.

As news of Shah Rukh’s detention broke on Indian television channels, US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal quickly expressed regret.

"Sorry for the hassle at the airport, @iamsrk — even American diplomats get pulled for extra screening!” Nisha tweeted.

Washington had previously denied allegations that Shah Rukh was singled out because his name denotes him as a Muslim.

Someone with the same name is reportedly on a US no-fly list of 80,000.

After the 2012 incident, Shah Rukh joked in a speech to Yale University that he was accustomed to such hassles.

"Yes, it always happens... Whenever I start feeling arrogant about myself, I always take a trip to America,” he told students. "The immigration guys kick the star out of stardom.”

Shah Rukh was also detained for more than two hours in 2009 at Newark airport outside New York, prompting a similar Indian outcry and a US apology.

In February, a Sikh Indian-American actor and designer, Waris Ahluwalia, was barred from boarding an Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to New York because he refused to remove his turban. — AFP