A Rwandan court Kigali on Friday denied a request for bail by Paul Rusesabagina, the polarising hero of the movie "Hotel Rwanda," and extended his stay in custody as he awaits trial on terrorism charges.

Theodosie Mukarugira, the judge hearing the case, said Rusesabagina's detention will be extended by 30 days beginning Friday to allow the prosecution more time to do further investigations.

"The fact that he is sick is not alone a ground to release him on bail," Mukarugira said in a ruling via Skype.

Rusesabagina was arrested in August after returning to Rwanda under unclear circumstances having lived in exile in Belgium and the United States. Authorities then charged him with terrorism and other offences.

His family maintains he would never have returned to Rwanda on his own free will and claims his lawyers were not of his choosing. They have also have accused his legal team of acting for the state.

The 66-year-old made his first court appearance in September and refused to take a plea on all 13 charges facing him. He said he wanted to plead on a charge by charge basis.

Rusesabagina is credited with sheltering hundreds of Rwandans inside a hotel he managed during the 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 mostly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus were slaughtered.

But in the years after Hollywood made him an international celebrity, a more complex image emerged of the staunch government critic, whose tirades against the regime of long-serving Rwandan ruler Paul Kagame made him an enemy of the state.

He admitted in court to helping form the National Liberation Front (FLN), an armed movement he previously said sought to liberate Rwanda from Kagame.

(With input from Reuters)