Swedish Judge releases A$AP Rocky from custody until assault trial verdict

The Swedish judge in the assault trial of US rapper A$AP Rocky and two of his entourage ordered that the three men be released from custody on Friday until the verdict.

Senior District Court Judge Per Lennerbrant told the court at the end of the three-day trial that he would hand down the verdict on August 14.

Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained on July 3 in connection with a brawl outside a hamburger restaurant in Stockholm on June 30 and later charged. 

The case has drawn huge media attention, particularly since US President Donald Trump began advocating on behalf of Mayers, asking Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to help free him. Sweden's judiciary is independent of the political system and Lofven has said he will not influence the rapper's case.

The prosecution says that following an argument, Mayers threw a 19-year-old man to the ground, after which he and two of his entourage, kicked and punched him.

The alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, said during testimony he was also hit on the head with a bottle after he and a friend followed Mayers's group to get back a pair of headphones.

Soon, after the rapper's release, Trump took Twitter and said that  A$AP Rocky is "on his way to the home in the United States."