LONDON - The Irish rap group Kneecap has cancelled a planned tour in the United States, citing a UK court hearing in a case one of its members is facing for allegedly supporting Hezbollah.
Band member Liam O'Hanna, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May after being accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert last year.
He attended a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London last week, with the court adjourning the case until September 26 for a decision.
Kneecap said in a statement late Monday that they would "have to cancel all 15 US tour dates in October" due to "the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour".
"But once we win our court case, which we will, we promise to embark on an even bigger tour", the band said, adding that refunds would be available.
The statement also accused the British government of perpetrating a "witch-hunt" against them.
According to their website, the band had been scheduled to perform in New York on October 1, travelling across the country before a final show in Oakland, California on October 28.