Jeremy Clarkson's claim he was barred from flight queried by German police
Jeremy Clarkson's claim that he was deliberately barred from a UK-bound flight by an “Argentinian” airport employee has been queried by German police.
Clarkson, 56, claimed he was barred from boarding a British Airways flight to Heathrow from Stuttgart, Germany, on Monday night over an alleged row over the Falklands which was sparked during a controversial Top Gear episode from 2014.
The TV presenter claimed “Argentinian” airport worker Manuel Pereira stopped him from boarding the flight in what Clarkson described as a “hate crime”.
Mr Pereira allegedly said: “I’m from Argentina, so f*** you.”
A representative from Stuttgart Airport confirmed Mr Pereira was Spanish and not Argentinian.
The Grand Tour- first look
A police spokesperson has since said Clarkson and his team, including Richard Hammond and James May, missed repeated calls for their flight.
“The film crew with Mr Clarkson paused in the lounge and thereby they did not hear the call for the delayed flight to London,” the spokesperson told the BBC.
Speaking about Mr Pereira, Clarkson told The Sun: “He’s a stupid, bitter and twisted little man.
"The police said it was a hate crime and he would be arrested. Yes, even the Germans were 100 per cent on our side – for once.”
But Reutlingen police said they did not know what was said during the “verbal dispute” but were not aware of any “hate crime” allegations.
A Stuttgart Airport statement read: “The ground services for the mentioned flight were operated by our partner, S Stuttgart Ground Services.
“In this case, Mr Clarkson and his team missed several calls in the lounge while the other passengers have been already boarded.
“Due to airline policy, after a certain time of absence the luggage will be removed from the aircraft and the missing passengers will be withdrawn from the passenger list. From this point there is no chance for boarding, even if the passengers show up.”
Clarkson, who had been in Germany filming The Grand Tour, boarded a later flight to London following the incident.
Clarkson sparked a diplomatic row in 2014 when he and his co-hosts Hammond and May were forced to flee Argentina after driving around in a Porsche with the registration number H982 FKL.
Some locals took offence at the number plate and suggested it could refer to the 1982 Falklands conflict.
Standard Online has contacted Reutlingen police.
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