Former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone was arrested in Brazil for having a gun while boarding a plane, police said Thursday. (More Sports News)
He was released on bail and Brazilian media reported that he took a private jet shortly later to Switzerland.
Sao Paulo state’s public security secretariat said in a statement that “an 89-year-old businessman was detained after federal policemen found a gun in his luggage on Wednesday around 9:30 p.m. in the X-ray area of the Viracopos airport in Campinas.”
Police described the weapon as an unloaded 0.32 LW Seecamp pistol, which was seized. Ecclestone, who confirmed to police the gun was his, was released after paying 6,060 Brazilian reals ($1,240).
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The former Formula One executive, who left the series in 2017, has family in Brazil and is a frequent visitor to the South American nation.
