The U.S. Government Straight Flexed On Sweden To Get A$AP Rocky Home

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After a month of being held in a Swedish prison, New York City rapper A$AP Rocky was finally released from custody and returned to the United States last week, as he landed safely in Los Angeles, California, on Friday night.

Rocky — who had been imprisoned in Sweden since Friday, July 5, for a June 30 altercation that saw him and his crew getting into a fight in the streets of Stockholm — faced two years in prison for assault charges.

However, after some reported intervention from the United States government, Rocky was allowed to return home.

According to a report from The New York Times, the United States government sent a letter to Swedish officials warning them of “negative consequences” in the relationship between the two nations if Sweden did not release Rocky, born Rakim Athelaston Mayers, from prison.

The New York Times reports that the letter — which was dated July 31 and signed by Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Robert O’Brien — told the Swedish government that “the government of the United States of America wants to resolve this case as soon as possible to avoid potentially negative consequences to the U.S.-Swedish bilateral relationship.”

During their trial, Rocky and his crew maintained that they were merely acting in self-defense after 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari — who has been previously been convicted for assault, petty theft, and possession of heroin — refused to leave them alone.

Rocky, who returned home to the United States on Friday, August 2, took to Instagram to thank all of his fans, friends, and family for their support during the ordeal.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of my fans, friends, and anyone across the globe who supported me during these last few weeks. I can’t begin o describe how grateful I am for all of you. This has been a very difficult and humbling experience. I want to thank the court from allowing me, Bladi, and Thoto to return to our family and friends. Thanks again for all the love and support,” Rocky wrote.

The verdict of Rocky’s case will be announced in a Stockholm court on Wednesday, August 14.

Eric Italiano BroBIble avatar
Eric Italiano is a NYC-based writer who spearheads BroBible's Pop Culture and Entertainment content. He covers topics such as Movies, TV, and Video Games, while interviewing actors, directors, and writers.