Story highlights Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo decided not to come to the US after being booked on another flight

He originally was prevented from boarding a flight in Jakarta to the US

(CNN) US officials have apologized to the chief of Indonesia's military after he was denied permission to board a US-bound flight Saturday despite having an invitation from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience that this incident caused and we apologize," Erin Elizabeth McKee, Deputy US Ambassador to Indonesia, said Monday.

Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo eventually chose not to fly to the United States despite being rebooked on a new flight after he was denied boarding on the first, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.

US Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. had invited Nurmantyo to Washington to attend a conference Monday and Tuesday on combating violent extremism.

Nurmantyo and his wife were set to board an Emirates flight in Jakarta for Washington on Saturday evening, reported CNN Indonesia , a CNN affiliate.

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