It’s not every day that a celebrity as powerful and influential as Arnold Schwarzenegger finds themselves in a sticky situation at an airport. The Terminator star was recently detained at Munich airport on his way to Austria for a fundraising event. The reason? The security team took issue with a luxury watch found in his luggage.
The Audemars Piguet wristwatch reportedly had a value in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and featured an image of Schwarzenegger as The Terminator on the back. The actor had intended to auction off the watch to support climate initiatives through his non-profit organization, the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative.
However, because the watch was not declared, Schwarzenegger was held at the airport. The Munich customs office stated that they have initiated criminal tax proceedings, explaining, “The watch should have been registered because it is an import. If the goods remain in the EU, you have to pay tax and duty on them. That applies to everyone.”
Fortunately, Schwarzenegger was eventually allowed to continue his journey and made it to the fundraising event. During his appearance on stage, he lightened the mood with a humorous anecdote about the incident. He joked about starting things with drama and being in handcuffs, attributing it to a “hot night” with his girlfriend Heather. The actor even mentioned that one security officer threatened to put him in handcuffs, to which he cheekily responded that he usually pays $500 for that.
The case against Schwarzenegger will now be handled by the responsible criminal and fines office in Augsburg. As for the watch, it was ultimately auctioned off for an impressive €270,000 ($294,000).
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