Two Suspects Under Arrest in Jessie Smollet Case
Claim: One of the Suspects Filmed Using the Gym in Jussie Smollet's Apartment Building

Update: Dang, I just saw this.

Chicago Police say the two men being questioned in the attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett are considered suspects.

Department spokesman Anthony Guglielimi said Friday that the men are in custody and have been arrested based on probable cause that they may have been involved in a crime. But he says they have not been charged in the Jan. 29 attack.

Police have identified the men only as two Nigerian brothers. Police have been questioning them since they were picked up by officers at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Wednesday after returning to the city from Nigeria. On Thursday, police served a search warrant at their home.

Update: Is this actually one of the suspects?

If so, why did he have access to Jussie Smollet's apartment building?

Was he a guest? If so, a guest of whom?

See below for more about this pair.

That neighborhood watch blog has more tips and rumors from police.

Two Chicago brothers who attended Lakeview High School are "potential persons of interest" in the purported hate crime attack against Empire TV star Jussie Smollett in Streeterville early on Jan. 29. The two were detained by Chicago police at O’Hare airport on Wednesday evening as they returned from a trip to Nigeria, according to police department sources. CWBChicago is not identifying the men because they have not been charged with any crime.

Here is the latest:

* At least one of the men has appeared as an extra on Smollett’s show, Empire, which airs on Fox. That man has a YouTube channel featuring three audition reels.

...

* Police on Wednesday executed a search warrant at a North Side home, seizing electronics, bleach, a red hat, clothing, and more. The search warrant receipt states that police retrieved proof that both men live in the raided apartment....

* The brother who appeared on Empire has no adult arrests in Chicago since 2014, but the Chicago Tribune reports that he was charged with attempted murder in Cook County in 2011 but later pleaded guilty to aggravated battery....

* The brothers flew to Nigeria several hours after Smollett reported being attacked, according to reporting by CBS2Chicago. They were arrested as they returned via O’Hare last night. Their attorney told the station that they have no idea why they are considered to be of interest in the matter.

A police source denied to them the previously-reported claim that Smollet arranged the attack because he was being written out of the show.

Well... not yet he's not.

The denial of the written-out-of-the-show claim could explain why police previously said that media reports were not "accurate," while not completely denying everything. If anything reported is inaccurate, you can generally say "reports are not accurate." Lying politicians do this, and it seems wise for police handling a sensitive case to take a broad view of what "accurate" might or might not mean.

posted by Ace of Spades at 12:34 PM

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