Two people have been arrested in connection with the attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, police confirmed Friday.
The men, who police have been identified as Nigerian brothers, were in custody after being picked up at the Chicago O’Hare airport Wednesday.
Their names have not been released, as the men have not yet been charged.
Police confirmed earlier Friday that the two people being questioned in the Jussie Smollett attack investigation were being classified as potential suspects.
They were initially described as persons of interest when police announced they were talking to them on Thursday.
“For clarification, the two individuals interviewed are classfied (sic) as potential suspects. Detectives have probable cause that they may have been involved in an alleged crime and we are working to corroborate the allegations and investigative timeline as our investigation continues,” reads the statement put out Friday by Guglielmi.
He also said the “interrogations” with the two people and their attorney will resume Friday.
Police said last month that Smollett — an actor on the Fox series “Empire” — was allegedly attacked in Chicago by two people who put a rope around his neck, poured an unidentified substance on him and hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him.
Officials said they were investigating the case as a possible hate crime.
The new statement from Chicago police comes a day after a media report sparked speculation that Smollett was potentially involved in staging the attack because his character on “Empire” was being written off.
Authorities refuted that report and said they have no reason to believe Smollett’s story is a hoax.
Police have not seen footage of the confrontation itself but have obtained security video showing Smollett with a rope draped around his neck.
A rep for 20th Century Fox, the studio behind “Empire,” denied that Smollett might be written off the show, calling him a “core player on this very successful series.”
— DAILY NEWS
