In the case of the imprisoned American rapper ASAP Rocky, the US government has sent a senior expert on hostage-taking to Sweden.
Ambassador Robert O’Brien is traveling at the request of the White House, said yesterday evening (local time) a spokeswoman for the State Department in Washington.
The Swedish news agency TT had previously reported that O’Brien had attended the prelude to the trial in Stockholm. US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, commented on O’Brien’s use of Twitter as „pressure is rising.“
Trump demanded release
The case has attracted a great deal of international attention because US President Donald Trump has repeatedly campaigned for the rapper. In a telephone conversation with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, for example, Trump demanded the release of the 30-year-old, whose real name is Rakim Mayer.
Ambassador O’Brien is the Special Envoy of the US President of Hostage Framework, as stated on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. The ministry spokeswoman did not give details of O’Brien’s mission. But she said support for US citizens arrested abroad was „one of the most important tasks of the State Department and US embassies abroad.“
ASAP Rocky and two of his companions are said to have beaten a 19-year-old man in the Swedish capital at the end of June. The rapper’s lawyer denied any criminal charges and said his client had acted in self-defense. For the case of assault, the court has scheduled three days.
