Man with 453 piercings denied entry into Dubai

Updated
Man With 453 Piercings Denied Entry Into Dubai
Man With 453 Piercings Denied Entry Into Dubai


Rolf Buchholz has 453 piercings on his body, but does that mean he should be banned from a city?

Buchholz has 158 piercings around his mouth alone and has two horns implanted in his skull. Friday, he was on his way to appear at the Cirque le Soir nightclub in the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai. Buchholz made it through immigration control at Dubai's airport but says he was then stopped on his way to pick up his luggage. An airport official wanted to check his passport once again. "In the end, I must go back to Germany ... they give no official reason ... the people who bring me to the airplane, they say they thought I was black magic."

WARNING: After slide 3, the images may be too graphic for some viewers. Proceed with discretion.

NBC says nightclub employees tried to work with airport officials to get permission for Buchholz to enter Dubai but were told he wasn't allowed in the country due to "security reasons." Officials at the airport put Buchholz on a flight to Istanbul, where he would take another flight back home to Germany. He tweeted: "On the way back home. Dubai I will never come back!!!"

But even hornless visitors have had issues with Dubai's authorities in recent months. In April, The National says the drummer for heavy metal band Scorpions was arrested and thrown in jail after authorities said he flashed his middle finger, swore and mooned a group of Muslims on his flight from Moscow to Bahrain.

The Wall Street Journal notes harsh rules concerning alcohol consumption and women having sex before marriage have gotten quite a few travelers in trouble.

RT says the United Arab Emirates is well-known for a strict border regime. Officials are so precise, they once reportedly found a sugar-grain-sized piece of cannabis in a man's shoe.

Buchholz, whom the Guinness Book of World Records named the most-pierced man in 2010, tweeted that his luggage is still lost in Dubai.

Dubai officials have not commented about the incident.

Related Searches:
Fairmont Hotel Dubai
Traditions & Customs in Dubai
Emirates
Etihad Airways
Body Piercings
Dubai Airport Security

Advertisement