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<h6><strong style="font-size: 1em;">Jussie Smollett may have orchestrated an assault on himself, Chicago police say</strong></h6>
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<h6><strong>Brothers Olabinjo &#8216;Ola&#8217; Osundairo, 27, and Abimbola &#8216;Abel&#8217; Osundairo, 25, were released from police custody late on Friday</strong></h6>
<h6><strong>They had been held since Wednesday, after being picked up at O&#8217;Hare Airport while disembarking a flight from Nigeria.</strong></h6>
<h6><strong>The Osundairo brothers reportedly told detectives they were </strong><strong>paid $3,500 and were promised additional $500 </strong></h6>
<h6><strong>They further claimed that the trio made a practice run days before </strong></h6>
<h6><strong>Smollett furiously denied hoax claims saying &#8216;nothing is further from the truth&#8217; </strong></h6>
<h6><strong>The actor issued a statement Saturday night through his lawyers, who now say one of the suspects was Smollett&#8217;s personal trainer for a music video </strong></h6>
<h6><strong>Attorneys say Smollett &#8216;has now been further victimized by claims&#8217; </strong></h6>
<h6><strong>Smollett said</strong> l<strong>ast month that he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack &#8211; </strong><strong>Initial reports said two noose-wielding men yelled &#8216;this is MAGA country&#8217;</strong></h6>
<h6><strong>Police say new evidence emerged in interrogations that requires investigation, </strong><strong>the suspects are friends of Smollett and said to be anti-Trump</strong><strong style="font-size: 1em;"> <img class="alignnone wp-image-308154" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Abimbola-Osundairo-and-Olamide-Osundairo-4-300x192.jpg" alt="" width="1030" height="659" />Brothers Abimbola &#8216;Abel&#8217; Osundairo [left], and Olabinjo &#8216;Ola&#8217; Osundairo, both bit-part actors and physical trainers known to Jussie Smollett allege the victim paid them $3,500 to stage an attack on himself. They claim the trio rehearsed the assault beforehand.</strong></h6>
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<div>Actor Jussie Smollett and the two part-time actor brothers he is accused of paying $3,500 to attack him allegedly rehearsed the assault beforehand, a new report claims.<br />
Abimbola &#8216;Abel&#8217; and Olabinjo &#8216;Ola&#8217; Osundairo, both known the Empire star reportedly, are cooperating with police investigating the alleged hoax attack on January 29,</div>
<div>The Osundairo brothers who are originally from Nigeria but grew up and live in Chicago, reportedly told detectives there was a dry run of the hoax. The 2am attack was supposed to happen earlier and that they did a practice run beforehand, <a class="class" href="https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/02/16/sources-brothers-released-bought-rope-used-in-jussie-smollett-attack/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">CBS Chicago</a> reports.<br />
For the main event one of the brothers put a rope around Smollett&#8217;s neck and poured bleach over him while the other wore a red hat and yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him.</div>
<h6><strong> <img class="alignnone wp-image-308026" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Jussie-Smollett-5-300x263.png" alt="" width="651" height="571" />The victim of the alleged &#8216;homophobic, race based&#8217; attack, Empire actor Jussie Smollett, [photo] has furiously denied claims that he is party to an orchestrated attack<br />
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<div>The brothers, who reportedly had a relationship with Smollett and were extras on Empire, told authorities they had bought the items used in the attack at the actor&#8217;s direction.<br />
Abel and Ola were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of assault but were released from policy custody Friday evening after investigators said &#8216;new evidence&#8217; had emerged in their interrogations that requires further detective work.<br />
When asked whether Smollett is officially considered a suspect in light of the new information, the Chicago Police Department told TMZ: &#8216;We have some information that needs to be corroborated and verified with the Empire cast member before we can answer this question.<br />
&#8216;After new developments, we&#8217;ve reached out to his attorney and requested additional time to interview him.&#8217;<br />
Smollett has furiously denied claims that he orchestrated the assault and said &#8216;nothing could be further from the truth&#8217;.</div>
<h6><strong style="font-size: 1em;"><img class="alignnone wp-image-307996" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Abimbola-Abel-Osundairo-left-and-Olabinjo-Ola-Osundairo-right-1-233x300.png" alt="" width="1122" height="1445" />Empire extras Abel [left], and Ola [right] are cooperating with police investigating the alleged hoax attack on Jan 29. The brothers were arrested on Wednesday night at Chicago O&#8217;Hare airport as they returned from a trip to Nigeria</strong></h6>
<div>On January 29, actor Jussie Smollett was allegedly assaulted by two men at around 2am. &#8211; Reports indicated that he was allegedly beaten up and had a noose tied around his neck.</div>
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<div>The alleged assault took place as Smollett was on his way home after buying a sandwich at a local Subway.<br />
Initial reports indicated that the attackers were ‘white men’ who yelled ‘This is MAGA country’ while yelling racist and homophobic slurs and pouring bleach on him.<br />
But during an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC’s Good Morning America, Smollett denied that his assailants wore red MAGA hats.<br />
After the assault, some began to wonder if Smollett concocted the entire story. That there were those who doubted Smollett stems from some perceived inconsistencies in the narrative.</div>
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<h6 class="image-wrap fff-pic"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-308156" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Jussie-Smollett-3-204x300.jpg" alt="" width="809" height="1190" />Actor Jussie Smollett [photo], who is gay, claimed the assailants &#8216;yelled out racial and homophobic slurs&#8217; as they tied a rope around his neck and poured an unknown substance, he suspected was bleach, on him</strong></h6>
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<p class="mol-para-with-font">A Chicago Police spokesperson said on the day after the alleged attack that investigators were unable to find evidence of an assault.<br />
The only surveillance camera at the scene was pointed in the opposite direction.<br />
Smollett also phoned the police from his apartment rather than from the scene.<br />
When Smollett initially refused investigators’ request to hand over his phone, this raised eyebrows.<br />
Smollett then handed over his phone records, but they were redacted in order to protect the privacy of people not involved in the attack.<br />
On Friday, police arrested two Chicago residents of Nigerian descent, in the connection with the attack &#8211; only to have them released later.<br />
Since both men are black, this has led some to be suspicious of Smollett’s claim that this was a hate crime.<br />
Information emerged later on showing that Smollett knew the two men who were arrested since they were extras on Empire.<br />
A theory floating around on social media stated that Smollett staged the attack because his character was being written off Empire.<br />
But the show’s producers and writers quickly refuted that claim according to <a class="class" href="https://slate.com/culture/2019/02/jussie-smollett-attack-explained.html?__twitter_impression=true" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Slate</a>.</p>
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<h6 class="mobile-gallery-icon"><img class="alignnone wp-image-308157" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Michael-Monico-1-293x300.jpg" alt="" width="567" height="581" /><strong>Smollett has retained high powered criminal attorney Michael Monico who has also represented Micheal Cohen</strong></h6>
<div class="mobile-gallery-icon">Jussie Smollett&#8217;s attorneys Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson issued a statement refuting allegations of a staged attack<br />
on behalf of their client on Saturday night stating: &#8216;As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.<br />
&#8216;One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video. It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity.<br />
&#8216;Jussie and his attorneys anticipate being further updated by the Chicago Police Department on the status of the investigation and will continue to cooperate. At the present time, Jussie and his attorneys have no inclination to respond to “unnamed” sources inside of the investigation, but will continue discussions through official channels.&#8217;<br />
Smollett had told police that on January 29, two assailants tied a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him while yelling &#8216;Empire f****t&#8217; and &#8216;Empire n*****&#8217; at him.<br />
That narrative, however, is now under serious scrutiny by investigators, who reportedly have evidence that Smollett directed his &#8216;attackers&#8217; to buy the rope used in the &#8216;assault&#8217; at a local hardware store.<br />
Documents prove two Nigerian brothers, who work as extras on the highly rated Fox drama, bought the rope which was found around Smollett’s neck at Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in Chicago.</div>
<h6 class="mobile-gallery-icon"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-308002" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Jussie-Smollett-1-256x300.png" alt="" width="607" height="711" />Was the attack real or a hoax? &#8216;I was bruised but my ribs were not cracked, they were not broken. I went to the doctor immediately &#8230; but I was not hospitalized,&#8217; said Smollett later said in an ABC interview<br />
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<div>Sources said that the brothers used Smollett&#8217;s money when they made the purchase on the weekend of January 25.<br />
They also bought two red plain hats that they wore during the alleged attack, according to sources close to the investigation.<br />
Police believe that the red hats were purchased at a local beauty supply store in the Uptown section of Chicago.<br />
&#8216;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,&#8217; Chicago Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said.<br />
&#8216;We’ve reached out to the Empire cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.&#8217;<br />
Chicago police are now ‘eager to speak to Jussie Smollett’ in light of the new information that was uncovered, according to <a class="class" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/information-jussie-smollett-investigation-change-story-police/story?id=61117628" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">ABC News</a>.<br />
‘We have been in touch with Smollett&#8217;s attorneys,’ a Chicago Police Department spokesperson said.<br />
‘We made our intentions clear,’ he said.</div>
<h6 class="mobile-gallery-icon"><img class="alignnone wp-image-307994" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Abimbola-Abel-Osundairo-and-Olabinjo-Ola-Osundairo-3-300x218.png" alt="" width="827" height="601" /><strong>The men seen in this image from surveillance footage around the time of the attack on Jan 29 [photo], are Abel and Ola Osundairo, according to Chicago police<br />
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<div class="mobile-gallery-icon">Brothers Olabinjo &#8216;Ola&#8217; Osundairo, 27, and Abimbola &#8216;Abel&#8217; Osundairo, 25, were cut loose from police custody late on Friday. They had been held since Wednesday, after being picked up at O&#8217;Hare Airport while disembarking a flight from Nigeria.<br />
The brothers were paid $3,500 before leaving for Nigeria and were promised another $500 upon returning, according to <a class="class" href="https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/02/16/sources-brothers-released-bought-rope-used-in-jussie-smollett-attack/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">WBBM-TV</a>.<br />
Earlier on Saturday, Smollett hired Michael Cohen&#8217;s high-powered criminal defense attorney, as the police investigation into the attack he reported last month took a sudden shift amid allegations of a hoax.<br />
Attorney Michael Monico, a former federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois, revealed in a radio interview on Thursday in Chicago that he is representing Smollett.<br />
Monico, speaking on WGN&#8217;s <a class="class" href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/Podcasts/Roe-Conn-p20608/?topicId=129354561" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">The Roe Conn Show</a>, did not reveal how long he has been representing Smollet or in what capacity. Monico last month took over as co-counsel for Cohen, President Donald Trump&#8217;s former lawyer.<br />
It came as police in Chicago suddenly released the two Nigerian extras on Smollett&#8217;s show, who had previously been described as suspects in the attack, saying that &#8216;new evidence&#8217; had emerged in their interrogations that requires further detective work.</div>
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<h6 class="mobile-gallery-icon"><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-308024" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Osundairo-brothers-5-300x202.png" alt="" width="1120" height="754" />Olabinjo Osundairo, [left], and Abimbola Osundairo, [right], reportedly wore black hoods similar to the samples they sell online for the Jan 29 assault</strong></h6>
<p>Their shared apartment was also raided by police, who took away bottles of bleach, electronics, a red hat and a pair of Nike shoes.<br />
The FBI is also involved in the investigation after Smollett reported receiving hate mail.<br />
Federal investigators have taken the lead on the mail case, and are supporting Chicago police in the investigation into Smollett&#8217;s report of an assault.<br />
Police have been cautious in their official public statements about the case. At last report, investigators still officially considered Smollett a victim in the case.<br />
Smollett has continued to angrily denounce any speculation that the attack did not occur as he described, ascribing racist motives to skeptics and saying that no one would doubt him if he had reported being attacked by non-white assailants.<br />
&#8216;I will never be the man that this did not happen to,&#8217; he told ABC on Wednesday. &#8216;I am forever changed.&#8217;</p>
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<h6><strong><img class="alignnone wp-image-308160" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Police-logs-of-items-that-cops-seized-from-the-Osundairo-brothers-3-300x249.jpg" alt="" width="1136" height="943" /> Police logs show the items that cops seized from the brothers&#8217; Chicago home</strong></h6>
<div> Jussie Smollett tells Chicago police he was physically attacked by two men in downtown Chicago while out getting food from a Subway restaurant at 2am.</div>
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<div>The black and openly gay actor tells authorities the men used racial and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an &#8216;unknown substance&#8217; on him.<br />
Smollett told detectives that the attackers yelled he was in &#8216;MAGA country,&#8217; an apparent reference to President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8216;Make America Great Again&#8217; campaign slogan, which some critics of Trump have claimed is a racist dog whistle.<br />
January 30<br />
Chicago police say they&#8217;ve reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance camera footage, including of Smollett walking downtown, but none of the videos show the attack.</p>
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Actor Jussie Smollett allegedly rehearsed hoax attack with Osundairo brothers, paid them $3,500 to assault him
