George Wassouf held in Sweden on drug charges

Syrian-Lebanese singer George Wassouf was arrested in Sweden on drug charges just hours before he was due to perform a concert, Al Arabiya TV reported on Sunday.

Wassouf "has been held in police custody since Saturday on drugs charges," a police officer in the western Stockholm district, Martin Holm, told AFP.

He was arrested after a police raid at the Sheraton hotel in the Swedish capital, Holm said.

According to the online version of daily Aftonbladet, Wassouf, 46, was in possession of 30 grams of cocaine when he was arrested.

No formal charges have been pressed against Wassouf yet, and a prosecutor was to ask a Stockholm court to remand him in custody on Monday pending an investigation, Holm said.

According to Aftonbladet, thousands of people had bought tickets to see the singer perform at a newly opened venue in the Stockholm suburb of Solna.

Wassouf, who moved to Lebanon as a child, is a star in the Arab world with more than 30 albums to his name. He is nicknamed as the 'Sultan al-Tarab' (Master of Arabic music) across the Arab world.