Bernie Ecclestone has been arrested for illegally carrying a gun while boarding a private plane to Switzerland, it has been reported.
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The arrest took place at Viracopos airport in Campinas, Brazil on Wednesday night, with local police confirming the news the following day.
© Photo: Getty ImagesBernie Ecclestone with his wife Fabiana
In a statement, released by Brazilian police, they confirmed an undocumented LW Seecamp .32 gun was found in the 91-year-old's luggage during an X-ray screening. They added that he was then arrested and taken to a facility at Viracopos airport in Campinas.
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According to reports, Bernice confessed to owning the gun, but said he was unaware it was in his luggage at the time. He later paid the £990 bail and was freed to travel to Switzerland.
The businessman is married to Brazilian-born Fabiana Ecclestone, who is the FIA vice-president and a member of the World Motor Sport Council. Over the past few weeks, the couple attended several events in Brazil, including a local Stock Car race in the countryside near Sao Paulo and a meeting with Nelson Piquet in Brasilia.
© Photo: Getty ImagesHe is the father of Tamara Ecclestone and Petra Ecclestone
Bernie, who is the father of Tamara Ecclestone and Petra Ecclestone, also owns an impressive plantation in Brazil, which he bought in 2012 for around £8million and the land is said to be bigger than Monaco. The farm is located in Amparo, some 90 miles from the city of Sao Paulo.
"I've been in Brazil [for] 45 years and I've made a lot of friends. I've had really happy times around here," he once told American blog Sprudge.
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