Bernie Ecclestone stopped by Portuguese police over shotgun at airport

Bernie Ecclestone said he was stopped by Portuguese police after arriving at an airport with a shotgun he planned to use in a clay pigeon shooting competition, but denied reports that he had been arrested.

The 95-year-old former Formula One boss said four police officers and customs officials questioned him for about an hour at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais on Monday after he arrived from Switzerland. He surrendered the gun because he did not have the documents needed to import it legally.

“

very helpful

Ecclestone told the Press Association that Portuguese police were “very helpful.” He said he had brought the shotgun from England to Switzerland and expected no difficulty in Portugal because airport officials knew him “very well.”

“

I was going to take part in a clay pigeon shooting competition in Portugal.

“I was going to take part in a clay pigeon shooting competition in Portugal,” Ecclestone said. “I went to see the police and said, ‘What can I do for you?’ And they said, ‘We would like some information on this gun you brought in’.”

The episode is the second time Ecclestone has faced airport problems involving firearms. In 2022, Brazilian authorities arrested him for illegally carrying a gun while boarding a private plane to Switzerland and ordered him to pay 6,000 Brazilian reais, described as £1,000, to local authorities.

“

I went to see the police and said, ‘What can I do for you?’ And they said, ‘We would like some information on this gun you brought in’.