Bernie Ecclestone arrested at Cascais airport – shotgun in luggage
The 95-year-old former Formula 1 boss was detained after landing in Portugal because he had a shotgun without valid documentation in his hand luggage.
Ecclestone arrested in Portugal: shotgun without papers in luggage
The former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone was arrested at Tires airport near Cascais close to Lisbon. According to 20 Minuten, authorities discovered a shotgun in his hand luggage during a routine check – the 95-year-old had previously travelled from Switzerland in a private jet.
Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã was the first to report the incident. Ecclestone had the weapon with him without the required documentation.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ecclestone described the sequence of events from his perspective. "I had a shotgun in my luggage that I brought from Switzerland to shoot clay pigeons in Portugal," he said. "At customs there were no problems at first. I know the officer there, everything was fine. Eventually, however, police asked me to open the bag."
The officer asked him for the corresponding documents for the weapon. "I actually never travel with such documents – well, practically with no paperwork at all," Ecclestone explained. "They said they would arrest me, but after what felt like hours we could sort it out. But it was a nuisance from beginning to end."
This is not the first time Ecclestone has found himself in an awkward situation at an airport because of a weapon. In 2022, an unregistered pistol was discovered in Brazil when he was about to fly to Switzerland in a private jet. At that time, he stated that he did not know the weapon was in his luggage. After paying bail, he was allowed to continue his journey.
Ecclestone commented on the most recent incident to Reuters with his characteristic humour. He described the matter as "a silly, tiny little trifle" and joked that he had recently received too little attention and therefore probably had to do something about that.
This time, however, such an explanation is likely to carry less weight: a pistol has become a shotgun, and Brazil has become Portugal.
Source: 20 Minuten