US rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs arrested in New York

Charges against Combs not immediately clear as lawyer criticises ‘unjust’ prosecution.

Sean “Diddy” Combs, the American rapper and music producer, has been arrested in New York after being indicted by a grand jury.

The charges on which Combs was arrested on Monday were not immediately clear.

“We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time,” Damian Williams, attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement.

Combs’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo issued a statement expressing disappointment at the authorities’ decision to pursue an “unjust prosecution” against the rap mogul.

“Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. He is an imperfect person but he is not a criminal,” Agnifilo said.

“To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

In March, federal authorities carried out raids on properties belonging to Combs in Los Angeles and Miami.

Combs has also been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by multiple women in a slew of lawsuits since November, when his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura sued him for alleged physical and sexual abuse.

Combs and Ventura settled the suit the day after it was filed, without disclosing the terms of the agreement.

Combs has vehemently denied the accusations in the suits against him, saying his accusers were seeking “a quick payday”.

In May, Combs was thrust back into controversy when CNN aired a leaked video of the rapper violently grabbing, dragging and kicking Ventura in 2016.

Combs publicly apologised after the release of the video, calling his actions “inexcusable”.

Combs, who has also gone by the names Puff Daddy and Love, became one of the most successful producers in the history of rap after founding Bad Boy in the early 1990s.

During his three-decade long career, he has worked with a slew of top-selling artists including The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J Blige, Faith Evans and Usher.

Combs also ventured into businesses outside of music, including a fashion label, a fragrance brand and a range of alcoholic drinks.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies