A tech entrepreneur from San Francisco, Sebastian Heinemann, found himself detained in Davos after an incident involving what looked like a bomb at the luxury hotel hosting the World Economic Forum.
The 31-year-old had traveled to Switzerland to showcase his startup’s products, specifically anti-fraud devices for money transfers. However, he ended up spending 13 hours in jail after being questioned by police on terrorism suspicions.
This was Heinemann’s first visit to Davos. Unfortunately, while he was away grabbing a free salmon roll from a nearby event, he inadvertently left behind one of his prototypes—a small black box filled with wires and a motherboard—in the hotel’s lobby.
When he returned, the box was missing, and staff directed him to two security guards standing nearby.
Shortly after, Swiss officials detained him, took his fingerprints, and ran his identity through an international spy database.
Heinemann later reflected, “I’m the idiot in this situation.” He described the device as a mere black cube with wires sticking out, emphasizing the misunderstanding. He regretted not taking more care, given that he also carried an equipment case that resembled a gun case.
Despite his belief that the device posed no threat, authorities saw it differently. Detectives and members of the bomb squad were called to the scene, leading to his handcuffing.
Throughout the ordeal, he mentioned that the Swiss police were “polite.” Looking back, he realized, “I thought it was perfectly fine because it was just a block of plastic, but in hindsight that’s completely ridiculous.” He added, “I’m not malicious, but I’m very stupid.”
