A new development has been made in the investigation surrounding the Jan. 29 attack on Empire actor, Jussie Smollett. The Chicago Police have arrested two “potential suspects” by the names of Olabinjo and Abimola Osundairo. The Nigerian brothers are United States citizens, one of which has been an extra on Fox’s Empire.
“Detectives have probable cause that they may have been involved in alleged crime and we are working to corroborate the allegations and investigative timeline as our investigation continues,” the police said in a statement to ABC News.
Evidence was found in the Osundairo brothers’ Chicago apartment when the cops raided their home on Thursday (Feb. 14). Among the list of evidence found in their home were bottles of bleach, which was mentioned in Smollett’s report. The two potential suspects were detained at Chicago O’Hare Airport Wednesday evening (Feb. 13) following a flight from Nigeria and their attorney Gloria Schmidt, has since spoken out to clear their names.
“When they first learned what happened to him, they were horrified. This is someone they know, someone that they work with, so they don’t want to see somebody go through that,” Schmidt said in a statement to the Chicago CBS station 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 has had to deal with rumors surrounding the fact that his attack may have been “staged” or a “hoax” by the actor himself. The 36-year-old actor appeared on Good Morning America to clear up the hearsay.
“I have to acknowledge the lies, and the hate,” Smollet said to Robin Roberts. “And it feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more. A lot more, and that says a lot about the place that we are in our country right now.”
The Chicago Police also released a statement of their own on Thursday evening (Feb. 14).
“While we haven’t found any video documenting the alleged attack, there is also no evidence to say that this is a hoax,” Chicago police said to ABC News. “The alleged victim is being cooperative at this time and continues to be treated as a victim, not a suspect.”
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