An American Airlines pilot was arrested by federal police Wednesday after making an obscene gesture while being photographed at the airport as part of a newly imposed entry requirement for U.S. citizens, police said.
Ten crew members from the airplane arriving from Miami also were detained, police said.
Brazil imposed requirements that Americans be fingerprinted and photographed at entry points in response to similar rules in the United States for citizens of Brazil and other countries whose citizens need visas to enter.
The pilot, Dale Robbin Hirsh, lifted his middle finger while undergoing the new security process, said Francisco Baltazar da Silva, chief of Sao Paulo’s federal police.
The pilot could be charged with showing disrespect to authorities, a crime in Brazil punishable by 6 months to 2 years in jail or a fine, da Silva said. He also could be deported without further action.
