US singer Chris Brown arrested in Paris over rape claim

French police say the American R&B star Chris Brown has been detained in Paris on suspicion of rape. It follows claims he assaulted a woman in a hotel earlier this month.

A 24-year old woman has accused Brown, along with his bodyguard and a friend, of assaulting her in the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Paris a week ago.

French police are investigating the complaint.
The singer has not yet commented on the allegation.

He is also being questioned over a suspected drugs offence, according to a source close to the investigation.

French celebrity magazine Closer broke the news earlier Tuesday, saying the 24-year-old woman had met the star in a nightclub near the Champs-Elysees before agreeing to go back to his hotel suite.

Le Figaro newspaper had reported earlier that Brown, who has a history of violence, was in the French capital attending shows during men's fashion week.

Previous legal troubles
This is not Brown's first brush with the law.
He was given five years probation and ordered to do community service for assaulting his ex-girlfriend Rihanna, in 2009 .

In 2016, he was arrested on suspicion of asault with a deadly weapon after a woman said he'd threatened her with a gun, but he was later released without charge.

Brown was discovered by record label scouts when he was a boy working at his father's gas station in the US state of Virginia.

First identified as a rapper, he then found success with his rich singing voice, but he has been in the news more often in recent years for his legal troubles.

(with AFP)