Former Formula One executive Bernie Ecclestone has said he was questioned by police at a Portuguese airport after bringing a shotgun intended for a clay pigeon shooting contest into the country. The 95-year-old informed the Press Association that he had to "surrender" the firearm because he lacked the necessary paperwork, though he denied claims that he was arrested. The event occurred on Monday after Ecclestone landed in Cascais, located approximately 20 miles outside Lisbon, having flown in from Switzerland.
Ecclestone, who headed F1 for four decades before being ousted in 2017, stated he spoke with customs personnel and "four police" officers for "about an hour". Explaining the events, Ecclestone told PA: "I was going to take part in Portugal in a clay pigeon shooting competition, which I only knew about a few days ago because Fabiana (his wife) met someone when she was coming back from Brazil to Portugal. He said he was entering into a clay pigeon competition.
"So she called me and said, ‘There is something here you should go and look at. Why don’t you turn up and join?’ And I said, ‘Well, that wouldn’t be a bad idea’. "As I have got guns already in Switzerland, which have been imported properly, because we do a bit of clay pigeon shooting there, I brought the gun in with me.
"I went through customs and the people know me very well. They said, ‘Anything to declare?’ I said, ‘No, nothing really, just all the usual personal things’. "So I walked out and, as I got out, one of my people with me said, ‘The police have asked if you would go and see them’.
"I went to see the police and said, ‘What can I do for you?’ And they said, ‘We would like some information on this gun you brought in’. "I didn’t even unzip the case. I said, ‘Well, it is a shotgun and this is the reason’.
And they asked where is the blue book for the gun? And I said, ‘I don’t know, I have never heard about a blue book in my life. "They said, ‘Yes, well anyone with these guns should always have the book, it is like a passport.
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