Bernie Ecclestone was arrested, and later released on bail, after a gun was found in his luggage when he attempted to board a flight in Brazil, Reuters has reported.
The 91-year-old former Formula 1 CEO is married to Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone, who became the FIA’s regional vice-president for South America last year.
Ecclestone was boarding a private flight to Switzerland, where he owns a residence in Gstaad, when police found an LW Seecamp .32 gun in his luggage during a pre-flight X-ray scan. The weapon is a type of compact automatic pistol and measures around 14cm.
Ecclestone was taken to Viracopos airport in Campinas, a short distance from Sao Paulo, where Brazil’s round of the Formula 1 world championship is held. After being arrested, he paid bail and was allowed to fly to Switzerland.
Ecclestone ran Formula 1 prior to its sale to Liberty Media at the end of 2016. He was made chairman emeritus, a role which expired at the beginning of 2020.
During his stay in Brazil, Ecclestone attended a stock car event at Interlagos in Sao Paulo and was pictured with former Ferrari F1 driver and ex-FIA karting president Felipe Massa.
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