Donald Trump ‘speaks to Kanye West’ about custody of A$AP Rocky in Sweden

US rapper A$AP Rocky has received an unlikely boost in his bid to be freed from custody in Sweden over an alleged fight after Donald Trump said Kanye West had brought him up to speed on the situation.

The 30-year-old music star – real name Rakim Mayers – was arrested on suspicion of assault in Stockholm earlier this month, which caused him to miss his headline performance at Wireless Festival in north London.

Mayers was in the Swedish capital for another gig at the time of the alleged incident on 30 June, which his lawyer has said was “a self-defence situation”.

Fellow US stars including West and wife Kim Kardashian West have issued their support for the platinum-selling artist, and they have even lobbied Mr Trump as part of their efforts.

The US president has now said he has spoken to West about the ordeal and will speak to Swedish PM Stefan Lofven to see “what we can do about helping A$AP Rocky”.

He tweeted: “Just spoke to @KanyeWest about his friend A$AP Rocky’s incarceration.

“I will be calling the very talented Prime Minister of Sweden to see what we can do about helping A$AP Rocky. So many people would like to see this quickly resolved!”

Writing on Twitter earlier, Kardashian West had thanked the president and senior members of his administration, saying that their “commitment to justice reform is so appreciated”.

Fans of the rapper have also started a #JusticeForRocky movement on the social media site, and a petition calling for his release has garnered more than half-a-million signatures.

Adriano Espaillat, a New York Democrat in the House of Representatives, is also pushing for the Harlem-born star to be set free – saying his continued detention was “not a fair process”.

He added: “Everyone deserves to be treated equally and A$AP Rocky’s rights continue to be violated.”

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But the campaigning has so far fallen on deaf ears, with top Swedish prosecutor Petra Lundh offering no indication that he would be released as a result of the calls from America.

She said: “The fact that a suspect or a plaintiff is known is no reason for the person to receive a special treatment.”

Mayers and his bodyguards were detained on 3 July, with videos published on social media showing a person being violently thrown on to the ground by a man – allegedly Mayers.

Two days after their detention they were ordered to be held for two weeks, but a court has now ruled that police can have another week to work on their investigation.

Once the probe is complete, prosecutors will decide whether to formally charge Mayers, whose lawyer Slobodan Jovicic said was enduring “a very bad experience”.

Mayers has posted two videos about the incident on his Instagram account, saying two men had been following him and his team through the city.

(c) Sky News 2019: Donald Trump ‘speaks to Kanye West’ about custody of A$AP Rocky in Sweden