Nicki Minaj gig cancelled following Amsterdam arrest

Nicki Minaj‘s planned gig at Manchester’s Co-op Live venue has been cancelled following the American rapper’s arrest at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Minaj was arrested on suspicion of exporting soft drugs before being fined and allowed to continue her journey, Dutch police said.

The artist had been due to fly to Manchester for a concert on Saturday evening, which was subsequently cancelled.

Organisers Live Nation said: “Nicki Minaj’s scheduled performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Saturday 25 May has been postponed.”

“Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled performance which will be announced as soon as possible.

“Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible. We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused.”

Minaj filmed part of her arrest, posting it to social media.

In the video, a police officer can seemingly be heard telling Minaj: “You are under arrest.”

At Co-op Live on Saturday evening, thousands of fans – many wearing her trademark pink – were in good spirits as they entered the venue, hoping the show would go ahead.

One started a chant of: “Free Nicki Minaj!”

Fans Georgina Warde and Darcy Nicholls, both 18, travelled from Newcastle and had been looking forward to the show since they bought their tickets in December.

“I really hope she comes on,” Ms Nicholls said. “But it’s Nicki so we knew it would be delayed somehow.”

The music star posted a series of messages on X, apparently in relation to the incident.

“They took my luggage without consent,” she wrote in one. In another she added: “This is Amsterdam btw [by the way], where weed is legal,” using a colloquial term for the drug cannabis.

It is technically against the law to possess, sell or produce drugs in the Netherlands. But the country operates a policy of toleration towards the sale or possession of small amounts of some drugs.

The BBC has approached Minaj’s representatives for comment.