Arnold Schwarzenegger’s travel plans took a three-hour pause as he was detained at the Munich International Airport on Wednesday, January 17.
Schwarzenegger, 76, was attempting to bring an “unregistered” watch through customs on Wednesday, according to a report from TMZ. The outlet shared a photo of the actor posing alongside a customs agent while holding up what appeared to be a watch box.
“He did not declare a product,” Munich Airport press officer, Thomas Meister, told Us Weekly. “A product that was imported from non-EU countries [must be declared] in order to remain in the EU. And this process applies to everyone.”
Schwarzenegger was released and continued his travels after more than two hours with the customs officers.
“Criminal proceedings were launched” against Schwarzenegger, who was stopped for a routine check upon his arrival, an airport customs spokesperson told NBC News in a statement on Thursday, January 18. Further details into the investigation weren’t disclosed due to Germany’s privacy laws, per NBC News.
According to multiple reports, Schwarzenegger cooperated with the investigation and withdrew cash for the prepay taxes on the watch. However, various outlets claimed that he was not given the correct forms to claim the item before entering Germany.
“All is well and we look forward to a very successful charity event,” Schwarzenegger’s rep told People on Wednesday.
Schwarzenegger was traveling to his native Austria with the watch, which is set to be auctioned off during a charity event at the Kitzbühel ski resort benefitting the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative (SCI). The proceeds from the auction will go to the annual Austrian World Summit climate conference, which is organized by SCI and has since become one of the biggest climate conferences in the world.
Schwarzenegger’s foundation focuses on “building awareness of the climate crisis and the urgent need for action every day,” according to the SCI website, which indicated that the actor has been “fighting pollution and climate change for over 20 years.”
The Terminator star and former governor has been candid about his climate “crusade” through the years.
“I’m on a mission to go and reduce greenhouse gasses worldwide,” he told CBS News in May 2023. “Because I’m into having a healthy body and a healthy Earth. That’s what I’m fighting for.”
Schwarzenegger also made it clear that he hates the term “climate change” for one major reason.
“As long as they keep talking about global climate change, they are not gonna go anywhere. ‘Cause no one gives a s—t about that,” he explained. “So my thing is, let’s go and rephrase this and communicate differently about it and really tell people we’re talking about pollution. Pollution creates climate change, and pollution kills.”
