Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Bernie Ecclestone has reportedly been arrested in Portugal for illegally carrying a shotgun.
The 95-year-old former Formula One boss is said to have been held at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, near Lisbon, after landing there in his private jet, with airport police making the arrest during a “routine operation”.
Flight radars showed a private jet had landed at Cascais at 10.55am on Monday (07.09.26), having flown in from Saanen in Switzerland, where the businessman has a ski chalet.
The Airport Division of the Public Security Police (PSP) has yet to officially comment on the local reports.
Bernie was previously arrested in Brazil in May 2022 for a similar reason.
He was picked up by cops for illegally carrying a gun while boarding a private plane, and while he acknowledged owning the weapon, he insisted afterwards he was unaware it was in his luggage.
He was freed and allowed to travel to Switerzerland after posting bail, but denied he was formally arrested over the “silly, tiny little incident” and instead had been “questioned” because the firearm was not registered.
However, Sao Paulo state’s public security office issued a statement at the time that an unnamed businessman had been arrested for possession of an undocumented LW Seecamp .32 gun at Campinas’ airport.
He paid 6,000 Brazilian reals – around £998 – and the gun was confiscated.
Bernie later explained he had bought a handgun from a Formula One mechanic or tyre man in Brazil years ago, without ammunition, to act as a deterrent.
He said: “They said you need something like this.
“It might work if someone tried to mug you or something. So I bought it from the guy.
“I had it in the house and used to muck around with it if people came to visit me or something, we would joke around.”
Bernie divides his time between Switzerland and Portugal, and he also owns a house in his 50-year-old wife Fabiana Flosi’s native Brazil.
He was head of Formula 1 for 40 years until he was removed as chief executive officer in 2017.
