Arnold Schwarzenegger 'arrested and interrogated at airport after unregistered luxury watch found in luggage'

17 January 2024, 18:19

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been arrested and quizzed at a German airport over an unregistered luxury watch he was planning to auction off.

The former Terminator star was detained by customs officers at Munich airport after arriving from Los Angeles, local media reported.

Schwarzenegger, who is also the former governor of California, had been due to attend a charity auction in his native Austria.

Customs officers searched the luggage of the action movie juggernaut, 76, when he arrived - and found a €26,000 (£22,300) custom-made watch, Bild reported.

The Swiss Audemars Piguet timepiece should have been registered as an import, authorities claim.

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Schwarzenegger, who has dual US and Austrian citizenship, was pictured smiling and holding up the watch box during his questioning.

Thomas Meister, a spokesman for the Munich customs office, said: "We have initiated criminal proceedings under tax law."

He added that "the watch should have been registered because it is an import."

Schwarzenegger had been due to auction off the watch at a dinner that was set to take place before the start of his World Climate Summit in the exclusive Austrian ski resort town of Kitzbühel, 90 minutes' drive from Munich.

Schwarzenegger was questioned for four hours, before being fined €35,000 (£30,000) and sent on his way.

Another customs spokesperson explained the arrest to a local outlet: "If the goods remain in the EU, you have to declare them through customs.

"This applies to everyone, whether their name is Schwarzenegger or Müller, Meier."