Brothers Called Suspects In Jussie Smollett Attack Released
CHICAGO (CBSLA) -- The two gym-loving brothers who were questioned and later arrested in the Jussie Smollett case have been released, Chicago police said.
Obabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo were arrested Friday in connection with an alleged attack on the "Empire" actor. The men were identified by their attorney, Gloria Schmidt.
At least one of the brothers worked on Smollett's hit show "Empire." Schmidt says her clients have no idea why they're being questioned in the attack -- she described them as friendly acquaintances at the same gym and cordial on the set.
Late Friday, police said "new evidence" led them to release the brothers. They did not specify what the new evidence is.
The men were taken into custody Wednesday evening upon arriving to Chicago from a trip to Nigeria.
Police continued to say on Friday that Smollett was still being treated as a victim in the case and not a suspect. They also described him as cooperative.
On a Chicago-based radio show Michael Cohen's attorney, Michael Monico, said he is now representing Smollett.
Anthony Guglielmi of the Chicago Police Department announced the brothers were being released, via Twitter and said the investigation was on-going.
It was widely rumored Thursday that Smollett might have been seeking publicity because he was about to be written out of the series. The writers of the show categorically and emphatically denied Smollett was ever being written out and no plans to write him out had ever been discussed.
Smollet says he was attacked by two men screaming racial and homophobic slurs at him in the early morning hours of Jan. 29.
An attorney for the two brothers said they were horrified when they heard what allegedly happened to Smollett.
