Jeff Bezos lookalike Çağdaş Halıcılar arrives by helicopter with 3 armed Austrian cops at Amazon event; the scandal has now reached Austria's Parliament

Last month, a professional impersonating as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos arrived by helicopter at Austrian toolmaker Haidlmair's celebration in Micheldorf, Upper Austria. The party was thrown to celebrate Haidlmair's biggest ever contract with the Amazon. The man was seen wearing a dark suit, aviator-style glasses and also boasted of similar shaved-head-and-beard look, like Jeff Bezos. What was surprising was that beside the 'fake Jeff Bezos', were three masked, heavily armed Austrian police officers like real security officers. The result was an extraordinary piece of corporate theater in which the billionaire was fake, but his security detail was genuine. Çağdaş Halıcılar openly identifies himself on LinkedIn as a “Jeff Bezos double.” The Germany-based lookalike was hired for the Austrian e-commerce event that led local police to provide protection, reportedly believing the real Amazon founder was attending.

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The party was organised in a former Kiefel factory hall in Micheldorf, in Austria's Kirchdorf district. As many as three Austrian police officers from the Schnelle Interventionsgruppe (SIG), a special unit based in Linz, reportedly provided security for "Jeff Bezos double". They were aware of the fact that Çağdaş Halıcılar was not real Jeff Bezos. A report published in Der Standard said that the incident is now under police investigation and officials are trying to find out how such security deployment was made possible and who paid for the officers. The unusual deployment has also drawn attention because the SIG is intended for particularly dangerous situations and reportedly does not have specific personal-protection training.

The unusual VIP security for Jeff Bezos lookalike has raised concerns over possible misuse of office. The matter has now reached the Parliament and Austria’s Green Party has also announced a parliamentary inquiry seeking to establish who authorized the deployment and who will pay the cost.

What was Haidlmair's biggest contract with Amazon?

The party in Austria was thrown where Haidlmair boss Mario Haidlmair was celebrating the completion of the company's biggest-ever Amazon order. The project involved around 170 injection molds, completed in about six months using more than 650,000 components and 2,800 metric tons of steel. The molds are intended to produce standardized containers for Amazon logistics centers in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The initial use of molds was expected in 2027 and deliveries beginning in 2028.

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What grabbed everyone's eyeballs at the celebration was when Jeff Bezos lookalike arrived in a helicopter, a professional Bezos lookalike from Leimen, Germany. A former electrician, Halicilar has turned his resemblance to the Amazon founder into a second career. His social-media description of the appearance reportedly mentioned arriving “from the helicopter into the hall” with Mario Haidlmair, his bodyguards and SIG Upper Austria.

Why did Mario Haidlmair bring Jeff Bezos double?

Haidlmair said the idea to bring the Jeff Bezos impersonator, Çağdaş Halıcılar, came from one of his employees, adding that it was not suggested by Amazon or Bezos. The company also reportedly agreed to pay the police costs. However, Haidlmair said the company had not received an invoice when the reports about the event emerged.

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According to Der Standard, the police officers may have been allowed to count the assignment as overtime. They may also have received hazard pay. Police have not confirmed these payment details.

The police deployment is now being reviewed internally. The review will look at how the operation was arranged and whether it followed the rules. Austria’s Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK) has also been informed about the case. Austria’s Green Party has also called for a parliamentary inquiry. It wants to find out who approved the police deployment, why it was approved and who will pay the cost.