14 May 2011 Last updated at 20:19 ET
The head of the IMF, Dominique Strass-Kahn, is being questioned by New York police over an alleged sex attack on a hotel maid, say reports.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, was taken off a plane at JFK airport, minutes before it left for Paris.
Police said he was being questioned but has not been charged.
The former French finance minister is also a leading Socialist party figure and is considered a possible candidate for presidential elections next year.
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IMF head held over ‘sex attack’