76-year-old Polanski was apprehended after he had travelled from France in order to receive an award in Switzerland.
The director was wanted in America for sentencing after he had admitted his guilt on the charge of having had unlawful sex with an underage girl. Polanski had then fled the US back in 1978.
Following the alert that Polanski was travelling to Switzerland, American federal officials informed the prosecutors in Los Angeles, who issued a warrant for his arrest.
The director is currently in a Swiss jail and faces possible extradition to America where he will be sentenced for his crime.
