Karim Benzema Arrested for Alleged Blackmail of Mathieu Valbuena over Sex Tape

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has been arrested by French authorities based on allegations of a plot to blackmail international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.

According to sources cited by the news agency AFP (h/t Tom Adams of Eurosport), the France international forward was placed into custody after visiting the judicial police on Wednesday morning. Adams noted Benzema has been connected with the process previously by Le Parisien, although only as a peripheral figure.

His lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, drove that point home following Wednesday's revelation regarding his arrest and insisted the striker is in no real danger himself, per Spanish newspaper AS:

AFP (h/t Yahoo) noted "investigators are trying determine the extent to which Benzema was aware of the intimate video featuring Valbuena, which found its way into the hands of blackmailers."

It's also suggested that the Real Madrid forward mentioned the alleged tape to the Lyon man during international duty last month. A source told AFP that Benzema "learned of the video from a friend of his brother in Lyon who had been contacted by the suspected blackmailers with a view to involving Benzema in their scheme."

Former Liverpool forward Djibril Cisse was questioned last month as part of the investigation, but after a raid on his home, he was released on Oct. 13.

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As reported by Adams, the ongoing investigation is over suggestions that there was an attempt to exploit Valbuena for extortion.

According to a source quoted by AFP (h/t Eurosport) previously, "the existence of an intimate video has not been proven."

Valbuena, now playing at Lyon, and Cisse were previously team-mates together at Marseille. Benzema, like Valbuena, has been a regular feature in the French national team as of late, with both men expected to play a central role for Didier Deschamps' side at the European Championships next summer.

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Benzema has been out of action for around a month after picking up an injury while on international duty with France in early October. The 27-year-old has turned out 81 times for the national side, scoring 27 goals.