Singer R Kelly arrested on federal sex trafficking charges

The musician was arrested in Chicago on Thursday night

Musician R. Kelly departs from the Leighton Criminal Court building after a status hearing in his criminal sexual abuse trial in Chicago on June 26, 2019. Amr Alfiky / AP Photo

Grammy Award-winning singer R Kelly has been arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges. According to law enforcement officials, the 52-year-old was arrested by New York police detectives and Homeland Security investigation agents.

"The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice," Fitzpatrick said, adding that further details would be released Friday.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Kelly is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago. It’s believed he will be brought to New York to face additional charges, with further details on the case to be announced later on Friday.

Kelly's lawyer Steve Greenberg confirmed the arrest, but has declined to give further details.

The R&B star, know for hits like I Believe I Can Fly and Ignition has been the subject of sexual abuse allegations for nearly two decades. In February, he was charged with aggravated sexual abuse involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.

He pleaded not guilty and was released from Chicago's Cook County Jail after posting bail.

A jury in 2008 acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges stemming from a video showing him having sex with a girl as young as 13, prosecutors claimed at the time.

Kelly faced 15 years in prison for that charge, but the young woman in that claim denied it was her and did not testify.

The singer and producer was also formerly married to American popstar Aaliyah when she was 15 years old. The pair were wed in a secret ceremony.

His latest arrest comes after renewed world attention in the singer after the release of a documentary in January this year that featured many of the women who claim they were emotionally and sexually abused by Kelly.