Ex-F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone detained at Portuguese airport for carrying shotgun

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone was detained at a Portuguese airport on Monday — and released hours later — for possession of a firearm.

Ecclestone, 95, arrived at Tires Airport near Lisbon, where officers from the Portuguese Public Security Police airport division found a shotgun in his possession for which he lacked a permit.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Ecclestone admitted he brought the weapon from Switzerland for pigeon shooting.

“They asked if I had a blue book, which is apparently the documentation you need, and I told them I never travel with documents like that, any documents at all practically,” Ecclestone told the British newspaper. “They said they would arrest me, but after what seemed like hours we sorted it out, but it has been wall-to-wall aggravation.”