The victim of the crime told police that the incident occurred at 3:45am in Washington DC, where Nelly is currently on tour. Nelly himself was booked on second degree rape charges.

Auburn Police Department have released a statement on the arrest, which reads: “The alleged assault was reported to occur on the tour bus that was parked at the listed location. Nelly had performed at the White River Amphitheater just hours before.

“After patrol officers investigated the incident, at 4:37 AM Nelly was taken into custody and booked at the SCORE jail facility.

“Auburn Police are continuing to investigate this incident. The above details are all we have to release at this time.”

Nelly’s lawyer Scott Rosenblum has also issued a response, per The Blast, claiming: “Nelly is the victim of a completely fabricated allegation. Our initial investigation clearly establishes this allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness.

“I am confident, once this scurrilous accusation is thoroughly investigated, there will be no charges. Nelly is prepared to address and pursue all legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation.”

Rosenblum also took the time to text CNN to notify viewers that Nelly will be able to make his next scheduled date, in Jacksonville, Florida, on October 12.

Nelly himself also took to Twitter to declare his own innocence, as well as to thank his fans for their support, noting that he was released without charge, pending further investigation.

I also want to thank my fans for their unwavering support. They know me. I assure you I will be vindicated. And I assure you, I will pursue every legal option to address this defaming claim. Thank you

— Nelly_Mo (@Nelly_Mo) October 7, 2017

To be absolutely clear. I have not been charged with a crime therefore no bail was required. I was released , pending further investigation.

— Nelly_Mo (@Nelly_Mo) October 7, 2017

The statement that was posted on their Facebook reads: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Nelly has been forced to postpone his UK tour. Customers are advised to hold on to their tickets as rescheduled dates will be announced shortly & tickets will remain valid for the new shows. We apologise for any disappointment & inconvenience caused.”

Gossip website TMZ claims that the reason behind the decision is due to safety concerns according to an attorney for the singer that allegedly stated that there were “safety concerns relating to venue security preventing terrorist attacks”.

Whilst the cancellation may seem abrupt, there are a few reasons to which Nelly decided to cancel the tour for now. Due to recent terror attacks during an Eagles Of Death concert at the Bataclan in Paris, naturally fears over terror threats and attacks at venues in particular have heightened drastically.

Earlier this year felony charges were pressed against Nelly after he was arrested for substances found on his tour bus, recently it had been revealed that they were dropped. Ever since, Nelly stated he should be more careful about the associations he makes with people and needs to be more aware of his surroundings in general. He stated to TMZ:

“I feel the need to take responsibility for my choices in needing to be more aware of all the people I associate with and allow onto my property. While my instinct, of course, is to be accessible to my friends, fans and acquaintances, the last thing I would want to do is compromise the respect and admiration of my friends, family and fans.”