Renowned Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger found himself in an unexpected situation upon his arrival in Germany, where he was detained at Munich airport for three hours. The reason behind the detention was his failure to declare a luxury watch, leaving the 76-year-old actor perplexed.
Addressing the incident, Schwarzenegger expressed disbelief, stating to German newspaper Bild, "This is the problem that Germany is suffering from. You can no longer see the forest for the trees."
The action star, who had traveled from the US, was detained on January 17 after attempting to bring an "unregistered" watch from Swiss luxury brand Audemars Piguet through customs. The reports suggest that he intended to auction the timepiece during a fundraising dinner at his World Climate Summit in Kitzbuhel, Austria.
Munich Customs press officer Thomas Meister explained that Schwarzenegger did not declare the imported product from a non-EU country, which is a standard procedure for all individuals.
Despite his displeasure, Schwarzenegger reportedly cooperated during the ordeal. A source described the situation as "an incompetent shakedown, a total comedy of errors that would make a very funny cop movie." The actor agreed to pre-pay potential taxes on the item, but officers faced challenges in processing the payment. After a delay involving a malfunctioning credit card machine and a visit to an ATM with insufficient limits, Schwarzenegger was eventually able to resolve the matter and proceed with his plans.
(With Agency Inputs)
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