Originally Posted by TTQ64
Reply With QuoteThe two brothers who were interrogated by police investigating the alleged Chicago street attack on actor Jussie Smollett claim they helped him concoct the assault after he became upset that a letter threatening him, sent to the "Empire" show's studio, did not get enough attention, sources told ABC News.
Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo have also told investigators that Smollett paid them to help him orchestrate and stage the Jan. 29 attack that he said occurred near his Chicago apartment, sources said.
A letter threatening Smollett was sent Jan. 22 to the Fox studio in Chicago where "Empire" is filmed, police said. The letter contained threatening language and was laced with a powdery substance investigators believe was likely crushed-up Tylenol, police said.
The Osundairo brothers told the investigator that Smollet allegedly decided to stage an attack on himself because he felt the letter didn't get enough attention, the sources told ABC News.
Detectives are actively investigating the account of Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, but thus far police have not independently verified the allegations, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told ABC News.
The Osundairo brothers agreed to cooperate with authorities after detectives confronted them with evidence that they bought the rope -- allegedly used in an attack that Smollett described to police as laced with racial and homophobic slurs -- at a Chicago hardware store, sources said. Smollett also claimed the attackers shouted "MAGA country," an apparent reference to President Donald Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again."
Anne Kavanagh, a spokeswoman for Smollett and his legal team, said the actor had no plans to meet Monday with Chicago police, who said they are "eager" to speak with him again about the latest developments in the investigation.
After initially being considered persons of interest, the Osundairo brothers were detained and became potential suspects, police said. When they were threatened with battery and hate crimes charges, they agreed to work with detectives, sources told ABC News.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/brothers-police-empire-actor-jussie-smollett-paid-orchestrate/story?id=61136630
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