(CNN) He had passed the usual security checks at Detroit Metro Airport but that was not enough. Then he was asked to remove his turban.

At that point, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains did something he doesn't always do -- he pulled out his diplomatic passport.

Bains described the episode, which took place in April 2017, in an interview published Thursday in the online newspaper La Presse.

"I went through all the security checks without revealing my identity as a minister," he said. "I did it knowingly, as is my habit, to understand better what ordinary people are going through when they sometimes have trouble getting along with people in a position of authority."

Following the incident, officials in Ottawa spoke to the US Embassy there as well as to officials in Washington. Officials with the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security apologized to Canada on behalf of the US government, CNN understands.

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