Updated at 4:46 p.m ET
A judiciary source in Paris confirmed to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley on Tuesday that Chris Brown has been detained, along with two other unnamed individuals, on charges of "aggravated rape" and multiple narcotics offenses, and that they currently remain in police custody.
The French magazine Closer reported on Monday evening that an unnamed 24-year-old woman has accused Brown of raping her in his suite at Paris' Mandarin Oriental hotel, during the night of Jan. 15-16. The woman told Paris police that she met Brown in a nightclub in central Paris earlier that evening, and that Brown invited her, along with other women, back to his suite. At some point in the evening, she alleged, she found herself in a room alone with Brown, and that it was then that he allegedly raped her. Brown's accuser also said that a friend of the singer and his bodyguard also abused her.
On Tuesday evening, the French prosecutor confirmed to NPR that Brown and the two unnamed individuals had been released from custody, and that its investigation into the matter continues.
A request for comment from Brown's management was not immediately returned, though on Tuesday evening Paris time Brown posted a vociferous denial on Instagram, writing in part: "I WANNA MAKE IT PERFECTLY CLEAR...... THIS IS FALSE ... FOR MY DAUGHTER AND MY FAMILY THIS IS SO DISPRESPECTFUL [sic] AND IS AGAINST MY CHARACTER AND MORALS!!!!!"
In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to felony assault for attacking his then-partner, the singer and entrepreneur Rihanna; she was granted a restraining order, and Brown was ordered to community service and domestic violence counseling.
Last May, Brown, rapper Young Lo and an unknown woman were among those sued by a woman who alleged that she was repeatedly raped, sexually assaulted and falsely imprisoned by Young Lo at Brown's house in 2017.
Additional reporting by Eleanor Beardsley.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAxNzg0MDExMDEyMTYyMjc1MDE3NGVmMw004))
