Kalam frisking: US Embassy issues statement

The United States has apologised to India for the incident involving the frisking of former President APJ Abdul Kalam at the John F Kennedy Airport in New York.

Here's the full statement issued by the US Embassy:

The United States Government has the utmost respect for former Indian President Abdul Kalam. We deeply regret the inconvenience that resulted for him as a result of a September 29 incident involving the security screening at John F. Kennedy airport in New York.

Subsequent to the incident, Charge D'Affaires Ambassador Peter Burleigh personally hand-delivered a letter from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator to former President Kalam, and a similar letter was delivered to the Government of India.  In these letters, the United States Government extended its apology that appropriate procedures for expedited screening of dignitaries had not been followed. We are actively working to prevent similar incidents in the future from occurring.

The United States Government deeply values and appreciates our strong relationship and partnership with India. We are confident that despite this regrettable incident, we will continue working closely with India in the many areas of our strategic partnership.