P Diddy arrested?: Federal agents who raided Sean Combs' home find firearms

Guns were found during police raids at the home of a rap superstar, it has been reported.

Federal agents have launched an investigation into 54-year-old Sean Combs - whose stage names have included Puff Daddy, P Diddy and Diddy - over allegations of sex trafficking. Prince Harry was mentioned in the sexual assault lawsuit that was filed last month, but only as an example of a celebrity who has associated with Combs, not because he is said to have attended any parties at which sex offences took place.

Now NBC News says several sources have said "firearms" - although there are no further details - have been found by federal agents during the raids in Los Angeles and Miami this week. And it says several phones were seized from Combs in Miami before he was scheduled to depart on a trip to the Bahamas. The operation is being run by federal authorities in New York.

Has P Diddy been arrested?

Combs's lawyer Aaron Dyer has called the raids a "gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed".

A statement given to the PA news agency says: “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated. Mr Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities. Despite media speculation, neither Mr Combs nor any of his family members have been arrested nor has their ability to travel been restricted in any way.

"This unprecedented ambush - paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence - leads to a premature rush to judgement of Mr Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits. There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name."

P Diddy and Cassie

Combs' former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, sued him in November alleging she was trafficked, raped, plied with drugs and beaten by Combs over a 10-year period. But the case was settled the following day. However, three more women have since filed sex assault claims, including in February, a music producer filing a lawsuit accusing Combs of a catalogue of sexual assault allegations, while another accuser said the musician “sex trafficked and gang raped” her two decades ago when she was aged 17.

The US musician, formerly known as Puff Daddy, is a three-time Grammy winner whose hit songs include I’ll Be Missing You, Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down and Give Me Love. He founded the label Bad Boy Records in the early 90s and has worked with a slew of famous faces including Mary J Blige, Usher and Lil Kim.