Garowe — The man, identified as Mr. Lae Yue Zhang, was arrested at the police checkpoint in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, police officials said.

"He did not have entry visa and this was the reason for his arrest," said Abdirahman Haji Abshir, the police commander in Nugal region where Garowe is located.

Gen. Abdullahi Said Samatar, Puntland's security minister, told reporters that the China national has traveled around the world riding a bicycle and entered Puntland from the neighboring region of Somaliland, a self-declared breakaway republic in northwestern Somalia.

He said Mr. Zhang will remain in Puntland police custody until he is safely transported out of the region.

In May, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto came to Puntland after traveling by car from Somaliland. He was arrested at the Garowe police checkpoint for lacking proper visa documents but was later granted entry visa and allowed to complete his film about piracy. READ: Japan journalist's surprise visit to Puntland capital

Located in northeastern Somalia, Puntland is a self-governing region that considers itself part of a federal Somalia. The region has an elected president, a parliament and security forces.