Nicki Minaj on Jimmy Kimmel
The Young Money rapper risked being arrested after she hugged a malr fan in public while in Dubai.

Nicki Minaj almost got arrested after she hugged a male fan during a promotional trip to the United Arab Emirates.

The American Idol judge broke the strict Islamic law when she attempted to hug a man in the departures area at a private airport in Dubai.

Any physical contact or public display of affection between a male and an unmarried female is forbidden in the conservative country.

Minaj revealed that she risked being thrown in jail because the fan was "so cute".

"When we were leaving, there was this one guy who was so frigging (extremely) cute I was just like, (wanting to hug him) bye 'cause I just wanted this one last moment, just to savour the moment with him," she explained during a recent appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show.

"But literally I didn't know that he was a cop! They don't have a police uniform... It was at a private airport so they were just dressed in their regular garments."

The 30-year-old Young Money rapper had a lucky escape after the undercover police officer shunned her advances and backed away.

She continued: "I went to give him a hug and... literally I felt like time stopped in Dubai. I felt like everything froze and every single person turned around in slow motion and was just like, 'Noooooo!' and everyone in my team thought I was gonna be put in jail!

"It was the scariest thing but he kind of put his arms up a little bit and cracked this nervous smile, and I was like, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' and then I just left."

Dubai United Arab Emirates