R&B superstar R Kelly was arrested last night over fresh allegations of sex trafficking.
The 52-year-old star was held in prison in Chicago and is expected to be moved to New York today for questioning.
US officials said R Kelly had been arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking, a federal offence.
He faces a 13-count indictment which also includes allegations of child pornography, obstruction of justice, and “enticement of a minor”.
The singer – whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly – was first arrested in February this year on suspicion of sex crimes in his native Chicago.
He was initially charged with ten counts of aggravated sexual abuse, which includes teenage girls aged between 13 and 16 as alleged victims, and was hit in May with 11 more sex-related charges.
R Kelly, whose hits include I Believe I Can Fly, has pleaded not guilty to all the allegations, and insists that he is being wrongly accused.
In a television interview on CBS This Morning in March, the star broke down in tears as he denied claims of holding women as so-called sex slaves.
“How stupid would that be for R Kelly, with all I’ve been through in my past, to hold somebody”, he said. “Use your common sense.”
During the interview, he jumped to his feet and pounded his chest, shouting: “Stop it, quit playing. I didn’t do this stuff.
“This is not me. I’m fighting for my f***ing life.”
R Kelly’s latest arrest came at 7pm last night, and his representatives confirmed he was being held overnight at Cook County jail.
He had been freed on a $1million bail bond in February, while facing the Chicago charges which date from 1998 to 2010.
