JOHANNESBURG — The American entertainer commonly known as Mos Def was arrested in South Africa on suspicion of traveling with a fraudulent passport, a government spokesman said.
Department of Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete told the Associated Press the rapper and actor, who now goes by the name Yasiin Bey, appeared in court on Friday. The 42-year-old entertainer was arrested at Cape Town International airport on Thursday.
Tshwete said Mos Def told officials that he was carrying a "world passport." The spokesman said "there is no such thing."
Mos Def, born Dante Smith, starred in films such as "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy," ''The Italian Job," and "Life of Crime."
A South African newspaper, the Mail and Guardian, said the New York rapper has lived in Cape Town since May 2013.
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