Nicki Minaj has been released by police after being detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Dutch police posted on X: “We have just released a 41-year-old American woman whom we arrested this afternoon at Schiphol on suspicion of exporting soft drugs. The suspect was fined and can continue her journey.”
Minaj was scheduled to fly to Manchester for a concert at the Co-op Live venue on Saturday evening.
She filmed part of her encounter with the police and posted it on social media, where a police officer can be heard saying, “You are under arrest.”
Despite the arrest, thousands of fans, many donning her trademark pink, gathered at Co-op Live in good spirits, hoping the show would still take place. Some even started chanting, “Free Nicki Minaj!”
Fans Georgina Warde and Darcy Nicholls, both 18, traveled from Newcastle and had been eagerly awaiting the show since buying their tickets in December. They expressed their disappointment at the possibility of the show being canceled. “I’m trying to stay positive, but we’ve accepted the fact that it may not happen. We’re mentally prepared for that,” said Nicholls. Despite this, she added, “I really hope she comes on, but it’s Nicki, so we knew it would be delayed somehow.”
Minaj also posted a series of messages on X regarding the incident. “They took my luggage without consent,” she wrote. In another post, she added, “This is Amsterdam btw, where weed is legal,” referring to the drug cannabis.
Minaj was initially scheduled to go on stage at the Co-op Live arena at 8:00 PM BST. Doors to the concert opened around 30 minutes late on Saturday, and by 8:30 PM, it was unclear if the gig would proceed as planned. However, a manager at the venue told BBC News that the concert was set to go ahead, with a helicopter waiting at Manchester Airport to bring Minaj to the venue.
Zojuist hebben wij een 41-jarige Amerikaanse vrouw in vrijheid gesteld die we vanmiddag op Schiphol hebben aangehouden op verdenking van uitvoer van softdrugs. De verdachte heeft na overleg met het Openbaar Ministerie een geldboete gekregen en kan haar weg vervolgen. pic.twitter.com/FXuTWmtVnt
— Koninklijke Marechaussee (@Marechaussee) May 25, 2024
