USA TODAY International Edition
Police explore claims that attack on actor may have been staged
Lawyers say performer feels further ‘victimized’
CHICAGO – Chicago police were pursuing “additional detective work” Sunday amid suspicion that an attack on actor/singer Jussie Smollett may have been faked.
Two brothers told investigators they were paid by the “Empire” actor to stage the attack, according to a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly. The person asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the investigation.
“We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the ‘Empire’ case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation,” the Chicago Police Department said in a statement Saturday. “We’ve reached out to the ‘Empire’ cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.”
Smollett’s attorneys issued a statement saying the actor would continue to cooperate with police but felt “victimized” by reports that he might have been involved in staging an attack.
“Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying,” the statement from attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said.
Smollett, who is black and gay, said he was attacked while walking home through Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood late last month. He told police masked men tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach on him and yelled racial slurs and “This is MAGA country!”
Police found records in the Chicago home of one of the men that showed they purchased rope from a hardware store that was used in the alleged attack, the source told USA TODAY.
Social media reaction to the latest development in the case included from mockery and disbelief.
Donald Trump Jr. said on Twitter that the actor “tried to manufacture a hate crime to make Trump supporters look bad and most of the media not only uncritically accepted his lies as facts for weeks, but attacked those who questioned the validity of his false story.”
“What a disgrace to MLK, Rosa Parks, and other people who actually suffered racism,” “Survivor” alum Anna Khait tweeted.
“If this story turns out to be a hoax, orchestrated by Smollett to boost his career, he will have cynically betrayed supporters across the country and slandered a great city,” tweeted David Axelrod, director of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.
Police questioned the two brothers, who are of Nigerian descent and have long lived in Chicago, last week after arresting them at O’Hare International Airport when they returned from international travel. They initially classified the brothers as suspects in the alleged attack Jan. 29.
Friday, the men were released without charges. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, cited “new evidence” as the reason for their release. One of the men is Smollett’s personal trainer.