Gilles Marini. (PNP/WENN.com)

Sex and the City star Gilles Marini was caught up in a terrifying security scare after he boarded a flight at a New York airport - two men were hauled off the plane by armed police.

The actor had taken his seat on the Los Angeles-bound jet when cops came on board and detained two passengers, forcing them off the plane with their luggage.

Marini admits the incident left him and his fellow travellers extremely shaken up.

He tells E! Online, "It was so intense. They were not joking at all. Police came up pretty silent and removed the guys. Next to me there was an Air Marshall. Everything was so bizarre and scary.

"Some people were pretty freaked out, especially one woman that was crying. Everything was done with class and very effective. I'm glad we have amazing national security."

The news comes just days after officials in Britain intercepted explosives hidden onboard a freight plane from Yemen. The suspicious parcel was destined for synagogues in the U.S., while several more explosive-laden packages were also found onboard a plane in the United Arab Emirates.