KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — A former US Navy SEAL Ryan Bates, who was flying home to Las Vegas in the United States, is alleged by his wife to have been barred from departing Malaysia last Thursday after local authorities discovered empty ammunitions magazines in his luggage at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Ryan, 43, is said to have carried the items for use in the filming of a Netflix series titled The World’s Toughest Forces in Malaysia about the country’s elite forces called Gerak Khas, news portal 3News reported today.

His wife Diana Dahlgren Bates has posted a video on her Instagram account pleading with the US Embassy for help.

“My husband @frogman5326_ is currently detained at the Kuala Lumpur Airport being held by Malaysian Police. In order to get him out I NEED someone at the US EMBASSY AS SOON AS HUMANELY POSSIBLE!!!!

“He had a magazine in his bag from filming a military television show,” she said in an Instagram Story yesterday.

Malaysia has strict gun control laws. Those who carry them are required by law to have a valid licence from the police.

Malay Mail’s checks of Ryan’s Instagram account showed his last posts were a day ago when he posted a video saying he was detained at KLIA while the authorities were trying to figure out what he had in his bag.

In a follow-up video on Instagram Stories, he said that things were not looking good.

“If you don’t hear from me in a few days I’ll be stuck in a hole in some stupid place,” he said.

In a third video, Ryan was seen filming the three magazine clips he had with him being inspected by six officials in a room.

“They’re now figuring out what to do with me...(sigh). I’m never coming back to this country again,” he said.

In his last two videos, he asked if anyone knew of a contact for the US Embassy in Malaysia as he was being escorted to what he said was a police station.

The news portal 3News reported an unnamed US Department of State representative saying it was aware of the case involving the US citizen detained in Malaysia but declined to speak further at the moment “due to privacy considerations”.

Malay Mail has reached out to the relevant authorities, including the Foreign Ministry and the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, for comment.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who has oversight of the police said he will look into the matter when contacted.

“Let me get info pdrm,” he replied to Malay Mail in a WhatsApp text message, using the Malay initials for the Royal Malaysia Police.

*An earlier version of this story contained errors which have since been corrected.