Concordia University student Naid Ali-Khodja spent Monday night at Montreal's Trudeau airport after being detained by U.S customs officials. He believes he was singled out because his country of origin, Algeria, is one of 14 subject to new security measures by the U.S.Concordia University student Naid Ali-Khodja spent Monday night at Montreal's Trudeau airport after being detained by U.S customs officials. He believes he was singled out because his country of origin, Algeria, is one of 14 subject to new security measures by the U.S. (CBC)

New U.S. airport security measures left one university student stranded at a Montreal airport overnight Monday.

Concordia University marketing student Naid Ali-Khodja was expected to board a United Airlines flight to Los Angeles Monday when he was taken aside by U.S customs officials.

Ali-Khodja, who carries a French passport, spent hours in a waiting room with several other passengers who had been pulled aside and ultimately missed his flight.

He believes his Algerian heritage was the reason he was detained.

Algeria is on the list of 14 countries targeted by American officials for additional scrutiny following a failed bombing attempt aboard a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day.

The American Transportation Security Administration has directed airlines to give full-body, pat-down searches to U.S.-bound travellers from any of the 14 countries.

"I spent something like between two and three hours [in security], and I don’t know why,” Ali-Khodja said. "I just wait with no explanation, and then I missed my flight.

"They take my passport, and I wait. After, they explain to me I have the profile of somebody they were looking for. That is why I wait so long."

After spending the night at the airport and re-booking his flight Tuesday morning, Ali-Khodja was pulled aside again by U.S. officials.

He was only allowed to catch his flight after he recognized an official from his ordeal on Monday who was able to help straighten out the situation.

On Tuesday, U.S President Barack Obama said his country's intelligence community had "failed to connect the dots" in order to prevent the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day.

Obama made the comments following a meeting with top officials to discuss the incident.

Also Tuesday, Canadian Transport Minister John Baird announced plans to install body scanners that allow security staff to see through travellers' clothes at 11 airports.

Baird says the first scanners will arrive next week.