Rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been arrested and faces federal charges in New York.

Details of the charges weren't immediately announced by prosecutors, but Combs's lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement saying: "We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney's Office."

He added that Combs had gone to New York last week in anticipation of the charges being brought.

In a statement on social media platform X, the US attorney in Manhattan Damian Williams confirmed it had "arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY" and would provide more information on Tuesday morning local time. 

Combs was arrested in a Manhattan hotel lobby and is in federal custody, said a person familiar with the arrest who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

Criminal charges would be a major but not unexpected take-down of one of the most prominent producers and most famous names in the history of hip-hop.

The federal investigation was made public after authorities were seen outside Combs's Los Angeles mansion in March with guns drawn in dramatic footage.

The Miami home of the rapper was also searched, with the Associated Press reporting the searches were part of an ongoing sex trafficking investigation by New York federal authorities.

His defence attorney Aaron Dyer the day after the raids called them "a gross use of military-level force," said the allegations were "meritless," and said Combs was "innocent and will continue to fight" to clear his name.

Allegations against Combs, previously known as Puff Daddy, first came to light in November 2023 when his former protege and girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, became the first of several people to sue him for sexual abuse. 

In her November lawsuit, Cassie alleged years of abuse, including beatings and rape. 

Her suit also alleged Combs engaged in sex trafficking by "requiring her to engage in forced sexual acts in multiple jurisdictions" and by engaging in "harbouring and transportation of Plaintiff for purposes of sex induced by force, fraud, or coercion."

It also said he compelled her to help him traffic male sex workers Combs would force Cassie to have sex with while he filmed.

The suit was settled the following day, but Combs was later caught in further controversy when CNN aired a leaked video of him punching Cassie, kicking her and throwing her on the floor in a hotel hallway.

The following day, Combs posted a social media video apologising, saying "I was disgusted when I did it" and "I'm disgusted now." 

Cassie's lawsuit was followed by at least a half-dozen others in the ensuing months.

In February, a music producer filed a lawsuit alleging Combs coerced him to solicit prostitutes and pressured him to have sex with them.

Another of Combs's accusers was a woman who said the rap producer raped her two decades ago when she was 17.

Another woman who filed a lawsuit, April Lampos, said she was a college student in 1994 when she met Combs and a series of "terrifying sexual encounters" with Combs and those around him began that lasted for years.

Combs and his lawyers have denied nearly all of the lawsuits' allegations. 

AP