The ex-chief executive of Formula 1, Bernie Ecclestone, has been arrested in Brazil for illegally carrying a gun, according to police.

The British businessman was detained late on Wednesday at Viracopos airport in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, while boarding a private plane to Switzerland.

The undocumented LW Seecamp .32 gun was found in his luggage during an X-ray screening, officers said.

Ecclestone acknowledged owning the weapon but said he was unaware it was in his luggage at the time, police added.

The 91-year-old paid bail and was freed to travel to Switzerland.

The Sao Paulo state public security office said the “small, silver coloured pistol” was out of ammunition and that the arrested person had to pay 6,060 Brazilian reals (£1,000) as bail. The handgun was seized, it added.

Ecclestone is married to Brazilian-born Fabiana Ecclestone, a FIA vice-president and member of the World Motor Sport Council.

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They went to several events in Brazil this month, including a local stock car race in the countryside near Sao Paulo and a meeting with triple world champion Nelson Piquet in Brasilia.

The Ecclestones own a coffee plantation near Sao Paulo, which they bought in 2012 and where they regularly spend time when not in Europe.

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