Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has described himself as the victim of a ‘witch hunt’ over the ‘military-level force’ used against him during sex trafficking raids on his mansions.
Aaron Dyer, an attorney for the rapper, broke Combs’ silence just over 24 hours after the Homeland Security investigation with a statement to DailyMail.
‘Yesterday, there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated,’ Dyer said.
‘Mr. Combs was never detained but spoke to and cooperated with authorities,’ he added. ‘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.’
Combs was seen speaking to customs agents at an airport 15 minutes from his Miami Beach Monday evening but never arrested.
‘This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,’ Dyer continued.
‘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.’
Sources told Page Six that Combs was planning to fly to the Bahamas to spend time with his 17-year-old twins, Jessie and D’Lila, when the agents swooped in on his properties.
They gathered evidence including a ‘number of’ electronic devices, ABC News reports. No criminal charges have been filed, and Diddy has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct.
Flight data shows the rapper took off from the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles at 9 am on Monday.
He was then spotted around 3 pm at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, just a few hours after the raids started.
However, information on the rapper’s personal LoveAir LLC Gulfstream 5 jet is no longer available on plane tracker service.
Diddy was last seen pacing around the customs office at the Miami airport, though he was not being detained in any fashion.
Meanwhile, two of his sons were detained at the scene of the Holmby Hills, California, home while the warrant was executed but released without charges.
Armed agents entered luxury properties on both East and West Coasts of the United States, with video footage showing helicopters circling overhead.
The agents, who were wearing vests, gathered in the home’s backyard near the pool.
Multiple officers were seen carrying bags and boxes of evidence to a van with assistance from police dogs.
It comes just weeks after one of Diddy’s accusers was ordered to reveal her identity.
The rapper and music mogul has been fighting various legal battles, including one against an unnamed woman who claimed he and two friends sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
