Three terminals at an airport in the U.S. state of Texas were temporarily shut down Wednesday evening due to a false security alert triggered by a passenger trying to catch a flight, airport officials said.

A passenger who was trying to make a connecting flight at Bush International Airport, in Houston, went the wrong way and was headed down the escalator to the area near the security checkpoint, airport officials said.

When the man realized he made a mistake, he turned around and tried to run up the down escalator, which triggered a security breach alert.

Three terminals were shut down while the man was questioned by airport security. Passengers were not allowed to board or exit and arriving and departing flights were delayed.

The shutdown lasted for approximately 20 minutes before operations returned to normal, officials said.

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