The Brooklyn-born actor and rapper formerly known as Mos Def has been detained in South Africa while carrying a so-called “world passport,” a government official said on Twitter and to news organizations.
The rapper, now going by the name of Yasiin Bey, was arrested at South Africa’s Cape Town International Airport for using “fraudulent travel documents,” said Department of Home Affairs spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete.
The 42-year-old Bey, born Dante Terrell Smith, was given 14 days to leave the country, Tswhete tweeted. His family also must go.
The arrest was reported by local South African media, and Tshwete posted comments on the arrest on Twitter. International media also reported on the arrest.
“We are all fans guys,” Tswhete tweeted, “but the law is the law.”
Bey had apparently been living in South Africa for a number of years.
As Mos Def, he appeared in movies such as “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galay” and “The Italian Job.”
The “world passport” Bey was allegedly carrying is not recognized by most countries. The passport was created by Garry Davis, who founded the World Government of World Citizens, as a document that anyone with no ties to a nation could use to travel.
