Nicki Minaj's Manchester show canceled due to singer's arrest in Amsterdam

Fans left the Co-op Live arena after Nicki Minaj's concert was cancelled. Photo: Reuters

Nicki Minaj's Manchester concert was canceled The singer was arrested in the Netherlands on Saturday night on suspicion of trying to smuggle drugs through an airport.

The Starships singer was taken into custody at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, but then… released. She will have to pay a fine for “illegal export of soft drugs from the Netherlands to another country,” Dutch police said.

“They're trying to keep me out of MANCHESTER,” the 41-year-old rapper wrote on social media, where she has been constantly posting updates since her arrest.

Promoter Live Nation says Minaj's Co-op Live arena performance will be rescheduled and tickets will be honored.

< "Despite Nicki's best efforts to explore every possible avenue for tonight's show to take place, today's events have made this impossible," the promoter said in a statement. "We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused."

Minaj said Dutch authorities said they found cannabis in her luggage and repeatedly accused them of trying to disrupt her tour.

In one post, she suggested authorities planted something in her baggage. In another post, she said: «They were doing everything they could to TRY to stop this tour.»

«By the way, this is Amsterdam where weed is legal,» she added. in a later message.

The show was canceled at the last minute. Photo: Reuters

The Co-op Live event, the country's largest entertainment venue, was due to take place. will open in April with a performance by comedian Peter Kay.

However, the event was postponed so that management could test emergency communications systems. Performances by musicians including American singer Olivia Rodrigo have also been cancelled.

Part of the building's HVAC system fell to the ground during a sound check earlier this month.

“ We can confirm that that a 41-year-old American woman was arrested at Schiphol Airport for possession of recreational drugs,” a spokesman for the Royal Dutch Military Police Marshaussee told NBC News.

Minaj is due to give birth. will perform in Birmingham on Sunday as part of her Pink Friday world tour, followed by a show at London's O2 Arena next Tuesday.

She is due to perform in Glasgow on Wednesday before returning to Manchester next year. day.