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Justin Bieber Reportedly Eyed For Brazil ‘Arrest’ Over ‘Illegal’ Graffiti?

By Page Mackinley
Published on: 07:22 PST, Nov 6, 2013

Justin Bieber is being investigated by Rio de Janeiro police for spraying a wall with graffiti in the city on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Police confirmed an inquiry has been launched to determine whether or not the teen singer received “permission from City Hall to tag the wall of a disused hotel in Rio’s tourist southern zone as claimed by his entourage,” Agence France-Presse reports.

Mail Online previously reported a police spokesman said the star could be arrested when he next tries to enter Brazil.

However, The Guardian reports, Brazil’s federal police (who deal with immigration concerns) have denied local media reports that investigators had sought to prevent Bieber bound on Wednesday for a show in Asuncion, Paraguay, from leaving the country.

The quality paper added, Brazil’s civil police force released a statement saying they had already interviewed a Bieber rep and will continue to investigate the incident.

Graffiti is considered a crime of vandalism in Brazil unless it’s done with the consent of the building owners, as per a national law passed in March 2009.

Penalties for breach carry a jail sentence of between three months to one year.

Mail Online said Bieber’s Brazilian bodyguards gave statements today at a police station in Rio’s Gavea district, after the hotel’s owners reportedly confirmed they didn’t give the singer permission to graffiti their property.

That claim still requires confirmation.

Bieber recently performed two shows in the South American country at the weekend as part of his ongoing Believe world tour.

The “Heartbreaker” singer, along with pals and his bodyguards was seen spraying the hotel wall in graffiti in Rio’s upscale Sao Conrado district at around 3am.

Justin painted a range of images and messages on the wall including the words “Respect Privacy,” “Beliebers 4 life,” “Turns Up,” and “Bieberettes” as well as faces, animals, and a baseball cap. He also partook in a group-painted likeness of his tour deejay, Tay James, with a set of decks.

The hotel — Hotel Nacional in Rio de Janeiro — is being renovated and was reportedly bought by a group of Brazilian businessman in 2009 for north of $35 million.

Local newspaper photographers taking pictures of the teen idol reportedly had to call police after being allegedly being attacked by members of the Bieber’s security team.

One paparazzo claims he was left “half-naked” after his clothes were allegedly ripped by the star’s bodyguards, while another claims his car was hit with a cobblestone thrown by the security team.

The shutterbugs also claim Justin held up his middle finger and shouted “suck my d***” to paps as they took photos of him spraying graffiti.

It was previously reported that civil police chief Antonio Ricardo said police officers tried to find the “Boyfriend” star after he left the wall at around 6am.

Brazil’s biggest news outlet, O Globo, claimed police officers entered the private mansion rented to Bieber over his Brazil visit, but found the singer had already left the country.

Bieber’s Brazil transit has been marked by incidents but also sold out concerts. The singer stayed in the presidential suite of Rio’s plush Copacabana Palace hotel after arriving on Friday, Nov.1.

That same night, Justin was identified by his visible wrist tattoo and familiar security team leaving a high-end adult entertainment club in the city by waiting photogs despite being covered by a sheet.

A source close to the situation told E! News the teen singer did not know what kind of venue it was and believed it to be a private “members’ club.”

Two women, alleged to be from the adult entertainment establishment, reportedly returned to the singer’s hotel in a separate transport. However, the Copacabana reportedly refused to admit the women, AFP reports.

Bieber reportedly tried to get into other hotels before settling on a rented mansion in a gated area in Rio’s Joa district where he stayed, reportedly later throwing a party attended by around 30 girls.

On Saturday, the singer left the stage in anger after his penultimate song at his Sao Paulo show, after a water bottle thrown from the crowd knocked his mic out of his hand. Justin did not return to encore his signature hit “Baby,” but instead partied locally later flying privately to Rio and clubbing until Sunday morning.

The embattled star is also being criticized for a pre-Sao Paulo show “Meet and Greet” after mobile phone footage surfaced of fans who had paid hundreds of dollars to meet the singer being given seconds with him before they were forcibly removed by bodyguards.

As yet Bieber’s reps haven’t commented on the”M&G” criticisms, which to be fair are not organized or marshaled by the singer.

(Photo: via Justin Bieber Instagram, posted Nov. 6)

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