The officials had asked the 28-year-old man whether he was carrying any power bank but he replied that he was carrying a bomb.
He did so three times after being questioned, said Miri district police chief Lim Meng Seah.
The incident happened at 8.10am when the man was checking in for a flight to Kuala Lumpur, he said in a statement.
Lim said the officials summoned the security personnel and the man was arrested and taken to the police station at the airport.
“His baggage was checked but there was no bomb,” he said, adding that the man would be remanded for an investigation for criminal intimidation.