Arnold Schwarzenegger detained at German airport over undeclared luxury watch

MUNICH, Germany — Arnold Schwarzenegger had to split, but German authorities held him up for a few hours.

The “Terminator” actor and former governor of California was detained at an airport in Munich on Wednesday for approximately three hours for allegedly not declaring a luxury watch he had packed in his luggage while traveling to his native Austria, CBS News reported.

Schwarzenegger, 76, is expected to face criminal tax proceedings, according to CNN.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the former champion bodybuilder was detained at Munich International Airport after customs officials discovered a custom-made Swiss brand Audemars Piguet wristwatch, worth $21,000, in his suitcase, according to Bild, a German media outlet.

“Terminator” star and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was detained at a German airport for several hours on Wednesday and will face criminal proceedings for not declaring a luxury watch at customs. https://t.co/bPxJJc6r06
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) January 18, 2024

“He did not declare a product. A product that was imported from non-EU countries in order to remain in the EU. And this process applies to everyone,” Thomas Meister, a Munich Customs press officer, told CNN.

Meister added that the actor was released and allowed to continue to Austria.

A spokesperson for Schwarzenegger said he had flown from Los Angeles and was preparing to donate the watch for a charity event organized by his climate foundation in Kitzbühel, Austria, according to the newspaper.

“He was detained for three hours. He owns the watch. None of the people I know and sat next to on our commercial flight filled out a declaration form, including Arnold. He got to customs, and they told him he was ‘randomly’ selected to be searched,” Daniel Ketchell, told The Washington Post. “During the search, he answered every single question the customs officer asked, so to say he didn’t declare anything is 100% false.”

Ketchell was on the same flight as the actor, according to the newspaper.

A photo published by Bild showed Schwarzenegger holding the watch box while customs officers sat in the background, the Post reported.

“All is well now, and we look forward to a successful charity event for the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative,” Ketchell told the newspaper.

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