Arnold Schwarzenegger was briefly held at Munich airport by customs officers on Wednesday after reportedly failing to declare an Audemars Piguet timepiece that he intended to auction for his climate crisis charity. According to the German newspaper Bild, the former California governor, traveling for the “World Climate Summit” in Kitzbühel, was stopped by some customs officials upon arrival from Los Angeles, who asked Arnie to open his bags. Reportedly, it was a regular, suspicion-free check; however, he was held by authorities after they found the Swiss luxury wristwatch in his luggage. The Austrian-born actor was taken into custody for interrogation when he revealed his intention to auction the AP watch.
The custom-made Audemars Piguet in question is the exact watch that can be seen on Arnold’s wrist in Terminator 3. The 76-year-old Hollywood legend told the officials that the watch was worth 26,000 euros (around $28,300). He even argued that it was being donated to his Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative and is to be auctioned off at an event in the Austrian ski resort of Kitzbühel on Thursday night. However, the officials were not convinced and allegedly held Arnie for over three hours. Bild reports that the former bodybuilder was initially friendly to customs officials but began to lose patience as time wore on. “This is the problem that Germany is suffering from. You can no longer see the forest for the trees,” he told the German newspaper.
Arnold was also not happy when the officials started asking personal questions, including information on how many children he had, what his partner’s name was, how much money he had in the bank, and even his net worth. Bild reports that the actor even called his lawyers. A spokesperson for the main customs office in Munich said: “We have initiated criminal tax proceedings. The watch should have been registered because it is an import.” Arnold was asked to pay €35,000 by the officials, including €4,000 in tax and a €5,000 penalty, according to Bild. However, the ordeal didn’t end there, despite the “True Lies” star agreeing to pay the amount.
Arnold was unable to pre-pay potential taxes and fines on the watch with his credit card even though it didn’t have a limit on spending. Arnie was told that half the amount had to be paid by cash, which he wasn’t carrying with him at that time. The actor was forced to visit a nearby bank to get the needed cash, where an airport employee accompanied him. The officials allegedly refused his partner Heather Milligan (49) and his assistant to go along to the bank. We wonder if Arnie said “Hasta la vista, baby!” to the officials once he was set free.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s commitment to climate change issues
The legendary Hollywood actor has been actively involved in environmental and climate change issues for more than two decades. His commitment to the cause grew during his tenure as the Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. He has been one of the most vocal advocates for environmental sustainability and has even taken many notable steps to address climate change during his tenure as governor. Beyond his political career, Arnold has continued his commitment to environmental causes. He founded the R20 Regions of Climate Action, a non-profit organization that focuses on developing and implementing low-carbon and climate-resilient projects. Additionally, he started the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, which, according to the official website, “spreads awareness of the climate crisis and the urgent need for action every day.”
Arnie is also known for taking steps in his personal life to support the cause, which includes converting some of his gas-guzzling vehicles into EVs. He even flew to last year’s climate change summit in a commercial jet. Many other vocal activists, including Bill Gates and Leonardo Di Caprio, have been called out for their hypocrisy by flying to the conference in their private jets.
Update – The airport scare did have a silver lining after all as according to organiser Mr. Schwarzenegger’s now famous watch sold for $295,000.
