BEIJING - Detained celebrity blogger Xue Charles Bi-Chuen has been bailed because he is suffering from a "serious illness", Beijing police said on Wednesday.

Xue was detained by police last August for allegedly having group sex with prostitutes.

The Chinese-American is also accused of instigating disturbances, allegedly spreading rumors on the Internet.

The decision to bail him was made according to Chinese law, which stipulates that pregnant women, new mothers and detainees with serious illnesses can be bailed, the police said.

Prior to his detention the blogger had 12 million followers on Sina Weibo, China's leading Twitter-like blogging service.