Music star Nicki Minaj has been arrested at an airport in the Netherlands hours before she was due to perform at Co-op Live in Manchester.
The American rapper was detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on suspicion of possession of soft drugs.
Minaj posted a series of messages on the social media site X – including one message in which she wrote “they said they found weed”.
She also claimed “they took my luggage without consent” and “they’re trying to keep me from MANCHESTER”.
The messages also included one where she wrote: “This is Amsterdam btw, where weed is legal.”
The star also filmed what appeared to be an airport official asking her to have her luggage checked.
Minaj later wrote: “It’s a 45 minute to an hour flight. So they’re probably trying to stall for about 4 hours.”
And she added: “Now they said I have to go 5 mins away to make a statement about my security to the police precinct.”
She has not posted on X since.
Asked about Minaj, Robert van Kapel, a spokesman for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, told Sky News’ partner network NBC News: “We can confirm that we have arrested a 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol Airport because of possession of soft drugs.”
It is unclear if Minaj’s show at Co-op Live has been affected.
A post on the venue’s X account said shortly after 5.15pm: “Please note that general admission and premium doors for tonight’s Nicki Minaj show will now open at 19:00.”
After Manchester, Minaj is due to perform in Birmingham on Sunday, followed by a concert at London’s O2 arena on Tuesday.
Then on Wednesday, she is due to play in Glasgow followed by a gig on Thursday, again at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester.
The beleaguered arena – the UK’s largest indoor entertainment venue – finally opened earlier this month after it was plagued by a series of problems.
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Source Agencies
