Sean “Diddy” Combs arrested in New York City

Controversial hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested in New York City on unspecified federal charges, prosecutors say.

The arrest in Manhattan followed raids on two of his properties in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of an “ongoing investigation” into sex trafficking.

Mr Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said they were “disappointed by the decision to proceed with what we believe is an unjustified prosecution”. He said his client was an “innocent man”.

The musician has faced a number of allegations, including sexual harassment and abuse, including from his ex-partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. He has denied all allegations against him.

His arrest came in connection with an ongoing investigation by U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials, multiple law enforcement sources told BBC U.S. partner CBS News.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams confirmed the arrest in a statement Monday evening.

“Tonight, federal agents arrested Sean Combs on a sealed indictment from the SDNY,” the prosecutor said.

He said the office intends to release the charges on Tuesday morning and will “have more to say at that time.”

Combs is facing several civil lawsuits, including allegations of raping an underage girl and attempting to “manipulate” a producer into having sexual intercourse with another man.

His lawyer said Monday evening that Mr Combs was looking forward to “clearing his name in court”.

“We are disappointed by the decision to proceed with what we believe to be an unjustified prosecution,” Mr Agnifilo said in a written statement to the BBC.

“Sean 'Diddy' Combs is a music icon, a self-made entrepreneur, a loving family man and a proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children and advocating for the advancement of the black community.”

The rapper's legal troubles began in November 2023, when Ms. Ventura filed her lawsuit.

That same week, two other women filed lawsuits alleging abuse and assault, one of whom said Combs choked her so long that she blacked out.

At the time, he denied all allegations and a spokesman for the rapper described the lawsuits as a “money-making scheme.”

In December, another civil lawsuit alleged that a woman aged 17 was abused by Mr Combs and two other men for the purpose of “sex trafficking”.

In February of this year, new allegations came to light in a civil lawsuit filed by his former producer, Rodney Jones Jr. He said Combs made unwanted sexual advances towards him and tried to get him to have sex with others.

Mr Combs denied the allegations, but a month later his property was searched. The musician was stopped at a Miami airport as he prepared to leave for the Bahamas and handed over electronic devices to authorities.

Many of these lawsuits came just before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily allowed people who said they had been sexually abused to file claims even after the statute of limitations had expired.

In May, surveillance video footage released by CNN appeared to show the rap mogul attacking and hitting Ms. Ventura, an incident also documented in her civil lawsuit.

Mr. Combs – also known as Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love and Brother Love – is one of the most successful rap moguls.