The actor is questioned about his frequent visits to the Gulf countries

He was invited by the Israeli government to attend the Jerusalem Film Festival, so imagine Aftab Shivdasani's shock when his hosts treated him like a mere terror suspect!

On Saturday, the actor was detained for interrogation at the Tel Aviv airport while on his way to Istanbul for a short holiday at the end of the annual 10-day fest.

His frequent visits to the Gulf countries as recorded in his passport apparently caught the attention of the airport authorities.

Reveals a close friend, "They asked him all sorts of questions, right from his purpose for visiting the Gulf countries so frequently and people he knew there to what his name meant."

Checking out

Apart from the interrogation, the actor's bags were also checked very thoroughly. Each item was checked manually and then put separately through the screening machine. His iPod and iPhone weren't spared either.

"The officials even insisted on going through his message inbox to double check things, " adds the friend.

In 2009, actor Shah Rukh Khan went through a similar ordeal, where he was detained for nearly two hours at the Newark airport after participating in an Indian Independence function in New York.

US officials then explained that because his was a common surname, it had popped up on their computers, forcing them to follow a procedure that was put in place post the 9/11 attacks in America.