I am not sure why they would arrest him now seems like something that should have been done 30 years ago. This paragraph jumps out to me more than anything else:

"Polanski was scheduled to receive an honorary award at the festival when he was apprehended Saturday at the airport, the Swiss Justice Ministry said in a statement."

I am assuming this "honorary award" was not for his escapade in the late 70's, but the way (and to whom) these liberals hand out awards you just never really know.