According to The Wrap, two “potential suspects” have been brought in for questioning by Chicago PD for the attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett.
Friday morning, Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, confirmed they are talking to two men, they identify as potential suspects and that police have probable cause that they may have been involved in a crime.
Yesterday, CBS Chicago reported that the police raided the home of the “two persons of interest” in the attack and Chicago police announced they identified two persons of interest in the attack of the Empire actor.
“Through meticulous investigation, #ChicagoPolice detectives have identified the persons of interest in the area of the alleged attack of the Empire cast member. These individuals are not yet suspects but were in area of concern and are being questioned. Investigation continues,” said Chicago Police Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi via Twitter on Thursday.
Through s meticulous investigation, #ChicahoPolice detectives have identified the persons of interest in the area of the alleged attack of the Empire cast member. These individuals are not yet suspects but were in area of concern and are being questioned. Investigation continues. pic.twitter.com/tmy2jNvww5
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 14, 2019
There are no official statements yet as to whether the two men arrested are the same two men questioned. However, TMZ, who originally reported the attack, reports that the two Nigerian brothers are named Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo. The two brothers reportedly have appeared on Empire as extras.
“This is someone that they know, this is someone that they work with, so they don’t want to see somebody go through that,” the brothers’ attorney Gloria Schmidt told WBBM. “They really don’t understand how [police] even got information that linked them to this horrific crime, but they’re not guilty of it.”
Smollett first reported the attack on Jan. 29. He claims he was on his way home from a sandwich shop (reportedly Subway) at 2 AM in the Streeterville section of Chicago and was allegedly assaulted by two men wearing white ski masks, yelling racial and homophobic slurs, while tying a noose around his neck and dousing him with a chemical substance which was at first believed to be bleach.
After the attack, Smollett is said to have returned to his apartment, and either his friend or manager called police from there about 40 minutes later. When officers arrived, the actor had cuts and scrapes on his face and the rope around his neck that he said had been put there by his assailant.
The attack horrified a nation that has been visibly divided over race. According to initial reports, those close to Smollett also claimed his attackers yelled, “This is MAGA country.”
Smollett reported Jan. 29 that two men beat him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs and referencing “MAGA.”
The new developments comes a day after a media report by local Chicago affiliate ABC 7 sparked speculation that Smollett was potentially involved in staging the attack because his character on Empire was being written off.
More to come…
Source: The Wrap
