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Nicki Minaj has been arrested at an airport in the Netherlands hours before she was due to perform at Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday and appeared to livestream the encounter with security staff.
The 41-year-old rapper was detained on suspicion of “possessing soft drugs” at Schiphol airport while travelling from Amsterdam to Manchester for her Pink Friday 2 Tour show.
In the footage recorded on Instagram Live, Minaj denied that she was carrying any drugs but was told that she needed to go to the police station.
In the recording, a man explained to her that she “would get a lawyer at the office” and they would go “as fast as possible”.
Minaj claimed she was told by an airport security worker “to get into this [police] van and go into the precinct with no lawyer present”.
Asked about Minaj, Robert van Kapel, a spokesperson for the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, told NBC News: “We can confirm that we have arrested a 41-year-old American woman at Schiphol airport because of possession of soft drugs.”
Dutch military police added it was prohibited to take such substances out of the Netherlands.
Police did not confirm the suspect’s name but said she was still in custody pending an investigation.
A statement to the PA news agency from the National Police Corps said a woman was arrested after allegedly trying to take soft drugs from Schiphol airport to another country.
It confirmed at about 7.30pm that she remains under arrest and the force is still investigating.
The US musician also posted a series of messages on X, where she has more than 28 million followers, including one message in which she wrote “they said they found weed”.
She also wrote “they took my luggage without consent” and “they’re trying to keep me from MANCHESTER”.
The former “American Idol” judge played a show in Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome on Thursday and is due to return there for another show on 2 June.
It is unclear if Minaj’s show at Co-op Live has been affected.
A post on the venue’s X account at about 5.20pm said: “Please note that general admission and premium doors for tonight’s Nicki Minaj show will now open at 19:00.”
The beleaguered Co-op Live arena in Manchester – the UK’s largest indoor entertainment venue – opened its doors to the public earlier this month at the fourth attempt after a series of problems and delays. A gig by Elbow on 15 May became the first official date in its schedule.