GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Akbar Muhammad, a U.S. Muslim cleric visiting the South American country of Guyana, was detained Thursday on suspicion of ties to drugs and terrorism, according to police.
Officers raided the Princess Hotel in the capital of Georgetown and took Muhammad to the department's headquarters for questioning, said Seelal Persaud, assistant police commissioner.
"Based on the information we have, he is involved in drugs and terrorism," Persaud told The Associated Press. He declined further comment and no further details were immediately available.
Muhammad has been a spokesman for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
He arrived in Guyana earlier this week from Illinois and was expected to attend a rally on Thursday afternoon organized by black activists in the mining town of Linden just south of the capital.
Muhammad has visited Guyana several times in recent years but had never been detained by authorities during previous visits.
It is unclear if U.S. federal authorities are investigating Muhammad. The FBI did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Messages left with the Illinois-based Nation of Islam National Center and with the Truth Establishment Institute, which handles speaking engagements for Muhammad, were not immediately returned.
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