JOHN TRAVOLTA - THREE DETAINED OVER PLOT TO EXTORT FROM JOHN TRAVOLTA

THREE DETAINED OVER PLOT TO EXTORT FROM JOHN TRAVOLTA

An ambulance driver and two politicians have been detained over an alleged extortion plot against John Travolta.

Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and politician Pleasant Bridgewater were arrested in the Bahamas over a scheme to extort money from the actor following the death of his teenage son earlier this month.

According to TMZ.com, Obie Wilchcombe, the former Bahamian minister of tourism and a friend of the Travolta family, was also detained and questioned in connection with the plot, though he has since been released.

The Bahamian police have not released any details of the alleged plot, but news outlets have reported there may have been an attempt to extort some $20 million (£15 million) from Travolta to prevent the release of pictures of the body of his late son Jett.

Jett 16, was found unconscious at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island by a house caretaker and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead earlier this month.

The teenager, the eldest child of Travolta and wife Kelly Preston, had a history of seizures, which his mother had attributed to a rare blood disorder known as Kawasaki disease.

Lightbourne remains in police custody while Ms Bridgewater, an attorney and former member of the Bahamian parliament, was released on a $40,000 (£29,314) bail on Friday.

A statement from Travolta's legal representatives said: "Regrettably, in a time of such terrible grief, there are often a few individuals who attempt to make false claims in hopes of making millions of dollars. We will never let that happen."