Famed and acclaimed director, Roman Polanski, was nabbed by Swiss police as he arrived in the country to receive an award at the Zurich Film Festival and will likely face extradition to the United States for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

“There was a valid arrest request and we knew when he was coming,” ministry spokesman, Guido Balmer, told The Associated Press. “That’s why he was taken into custody.”

Balmer said even though the director has been apprehended the US would still need to make a formal extradition request.

Polanski fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with an underage girl and has continued to make films in France, even winning a directing Oscar for 2002’s “The Pianist.”

The director’s arrest comes as a surprise to many as he has often visited Switzerland to work, ski, or attend festivals without any threat of apprehension or extradition.  Balmer refused to explain why Swiss authorities never bothered to arrest him until now.

Samantha Geimer, the victim of Polanski’s crime, has added her voice to those opposing Polanski’s arrest saying that she wants the case to be over. She sued the filmmaker and the case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Polanski is best known for his classic films, “Chinatown” and “Rosemary’s Baby.”