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An Iraqi actor who plays a hijacker in a new film about the September 11 attacks on the United States complained on Friday he had been denied entry into the country for the movie's premiere.
But the U.S. embassy in London said Lewis Alsamari, who has lived in Britain since 1995, had not given sufficient notice about his planned trip.
A spokeswoman said officials at the embassy would try their best to get Alsamari to New York on time but could give no guarantees.
Alsamari stars in "United 93," a film about the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania which has sparked intense debate about whether Americans are ready to see an on-screen portrayal of the events.
The movie, directed by Briton Paul Greengrass, premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York next week.
Alsamari, 30, said he may have been denied entry by the U.S. embassy in London because he served in the Iraqi army in the early 1990s.
"I think this was because I am still an Iraqi citizen and fought in the army -- but that was only because I was forced to," he told London's Evening Standard newspaper.
"It would be so disappointing not to be able to go because I still have not seen the film. I have only seen footage and it would have been amazing to be in New York for the premiere."
"I hope I am not going to have to wait until the film comes out in Britain to watch United 93. It seems strange that I cannot go over for the premiere."
The embassy spokeswoman said: "Mr Alsamari has received visas in the past but we only became aware of his intent to travel to the U.S. again very recently."
"Many Iraqi applicants must be cleared with Washington prior to issuance. This process takes several days ... We will do what we can if there is an unexpected need to travel to the U.S. but in these circumstances we cannot guarantee that processing will be completed in time," she said.
Alsamari said he escaped from the Iraqi army in 1993 and stayed in neighboring Jordan until 1995, when he moved to Britain seeking asylum. According to the Standard, he was granted asylum in Britain in 1998.
In February, actors starring in Michael Winterbottom's politically-charged "The Road to Guantanamo" were held by British police under anti-terrorism legislation on their return from Berlin where the film premiered.
One of them said a police officer abused him verbally at Luton airport.