Rapper T.I charged with arsenal development

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

New York (ANI): Grammy Award-winning rapper T.I was in the course of developing a massive 'arsenal" at his Atlanta home when he was arrested for purportedly purchasing machine guns and silencers through his minder, officials have revealed. Federal agents held the singer, who real name is Clifford Harris, at a store 's parking lot , when he came to collect three machine guns and two silencers from his bodyguard.

"This convicted felon allegedly was trying to add several machine guns to an already large, and entirely illegal, arsenal of guns," the New York Daily News quoted charged David Nahmias, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, as saying. Nahmias said that three other weapons were found in the rapper"s vehicle and six guns were found in a bedroom cupboard during a raid of his home.

T.I. gave his bodyguard 12,000 dollars in cash to buy the weapons and when the latter was caught trying to acquire the guns from an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the agent was offered a deal in return for his help. The bodyguard revealed that the artist asked him to acquire the weapons since he is a convicted felon and is not allowed to purchase firearms, court papers reveal.

T.I.'s attorney, Dwight Thomas, said that fans should not rush to conclusions. "When this is all over, we can clear T.I.'s name and he can go back to making the wonderful music he is known for. He's confident in the American legal system and that it will work in his favour," Thomas said. The rapper, who is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon, is scheduled to attend a hearing today, where he will file for bail, his attorney revealed.