Justin Bieber's return to US from Japan hit a roadblock Thursday when the pop star was detained at Los Angeles International Airport.

The "Baby" singer's flight arrived just after 1 p.m. local time, but Bieber's bodyguards were still waiting for the 20-year-old to pass through customs at 4 p.m., reports contactmusic.com.

It is not clear why the Canadian star was detained, but the travel drama came just a week after a petition was filed with the White House to deport Bieber for his bad behaviour.

The letter was in response to his DUI arrest in Miami in January.

The official word from the White House is: "We'll leave it to others to comment on Mr. Bieber's case..."