Bernie Ecclestone, former chief executive of Formula 1, was detained at Cascais Municipal Aerodrome, in Tires, Portugal, after police found a shotgun in his possession when the Briton was disembarking from his private jet. The approach was carried out by officers from the Airport Division of the Public Security Police (PSP), during a routine operation.
The information was reported by Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã. At the time, there was no information on whether Ecclestone would be taken to a judge or merely formally constituted as a defendant — equivalent, in the Portuguese system, to the status of a suspect in a criminal proceedings.
Tires Aerodrome has undergone a security reinforcement, with permanent presence of PSP and Judicial Police (PJ) officers, according to Correio da Manhã.
Ecclestone played an important role in the return of Formula 1 to Portugal, in 1984, and currently divides his time between Switzerland and Portugal.
