Chicago police on Friday night released two persons of interest without charging them in the alleged hate attack on “Empire” star Jussie Smollett.
“Due to new evidence as a result of today’s interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives have additional investigative work to complete,” Chicago Police said in a tweet Friday night.
Earlier on Friday, police said they were questioning two men who were taken into custody at O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday night after returning from a trip to Nigeria.
The pair, who are brothers originally from the African country, have a relationship with Smollett, Chicago Police said — fueling speculation the attack may have been staged.
Smollett alleged he was on the phone with his manager, Brandon Z. Moore, and walking home from a Subway restaurant in Chicago at 2 a.m. Jan. 29 when he was accosted by two people who shouted racial slurs, tied a noose around his neck and doused him with a “chemical substance” resembling bleach.
Chicago police had a 48-hour window to charge the brothers, which ended on Friday night.