Arnold Schwarzenegger, the iconic actor and former Governor of California, faced a peculiar ordeal at the Munich Airport in Germany. Schwarzenegger, known for his roles in action-packed films, found himself in a real-life drama over a luxury watch.
Schwarzenegger was detained by customs officers at Munich Airport for not declaring a watch he was wearing. The incident occurred on Wednesday as he was traveling to Austria for a charity auction. The watch, a custom-made piece by luxury Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet, was to be auctioned at the event for The Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, which supports global climate projects.
The sit
uation escalated when Schwarzenegger attempted to pay the taxes for the watch at the airport. However, the credit card machine malfunctioned. Subsequently, he was escorted to an ATM, but the withdrawal limit was too low, and the nearby bank was closed.
Thomas Meister, a customs spokesman, indicated that while Schwarzenegger might continue his journey, the watch would likely have to stay in Germany.
Based on information from BILD (a German news outlet), Schwarzenegger initially remained composed during the interrogation. However, as time progressed and the process continued, he reportedly became increasingly impatient. He was expected to have departed Munich for Kitzbühel by this time:
Accordingly, the customs officials are said to have asked Arnold Schwarzenegger (estimated private assets around 500 million euros) very personal things. Including: How many children he has, what his partner’s name is, how much money he has in the bank, what his net worth is…
Schwarzenegger is said to have asked why the officials needed to know this. But the officers allegedly insisted that he answer the questions. Pure chicanery. According to BILD information, the actor has called in his lawyers.
