IL - Actor Jussie Smollett allegedly attacked in hate crime being black & gay Jan 2019 *ARRESTS*

[Tim Callahan]

If this latest info is true, then there's really only two possibilities. Since it is highly unlikely that the 2 on video, if they are indeed connected to the Empire show, just randomly and coincidentally ran into Jussie and decided to beat him up or scare him, they either targeted him or he was in cahoots with them.
Unlikely that they targeted him without the police already finding out -- if they knew enough about him to know where he was going to be, at 2am on a freezing night, surely A) Jussie could jog his memory and think of possible acquaintances that may have had cause to target him and B) Gladly cooperate with police to hunt them down, especially with digital forensics, social media, etc.
However, even more suspicious, IMOO, on the other side of the coin (being in cahoots with these guys), is that he has insinuated that the attackers were white, and furthermore, that he was "certain" that the people on the video were the guys who attacked him. Yet, no hint in their voice of an African-American dialect? I'm not saying that every African American has a distinct dialect, but he was basically sure it was not African Americans who attacked him -- "and it feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more."
Either way, if indeed the guys on the video are the same guys the cops have, and connected to Empire, I'm sure the cops will quickly sort out what's what from here. And if these guys are indeed fronting for Jussie, their story will fall apart quicker than a Subway sandwich on a cold Chicago night.

 

[Trident]

BREAKING Police raided the home of two persons of interest in Jussie Smollett case last night. Both men are of Nigerian decent and have appeared as extras on the show. Police took bleach, shoes electronics and more.Officers asked family if they knew #Jussiesmollett. @cbschicago

Charlie De Mar on Twitter

This information is according to family who says home was ransacked. I asked family why they think police picked the two brothers up for questioning and they replied by saying the men left for #Nigeria the day of the attack. @cbschicago

Charlie De Mar on Twitter

If they left for Nigeria, why did they come back to be questioned?

 

[TTF14]

Interesting how these guys knew exactly where he would be, and when.

Also, I am very curious how they were able to identify those guys. Anyone know? More surveillance? Great work by the CPD.

Surveillance cameras followed their movements to their ride (I read it was Lyft) and they were ab le to track further movements from there. Get records from Lyft, find out where they went (airport?), etc.

 

[TTF14]

Yet, no hint in their voice of an African-American dialect?

Or Nigerian....that would be even more distinct.

 

[anonypotomous]

<snipped for focus>

IMOO, on the other side of the coin (being in cahoots with these guys)...

If that’s the case, those guys will probably be singing like birds right now. Don’t you think? Thoughts?

 

[cody22]

Who sent the earlier threatening letter to Mr. Smollett ?...... Anyone heard ?

 

[TTF14]

If that’s the case, those guys will probably be singing like birds right now. Don’t you think? Thoughts?

They might just have to check who bought their plane tickets for their vacation to Nigeria.

 

[FinePrint]

Who sent the earlier threatening letter to Mr. Smollett ?...... Anyone heard ?

Oh yeah that is an interesting thought and it's the FBI who is in charge of that piece of the case.

This all makes me wonder who else is involved. The possibilities are endless.

 

[lonetraveler]

So let me see if I'm following this right...
The victim's Creative Director picked him up from the airport when he arrived on a delayed flight.

The Creative Director drops the victim off at the victim's apartment, where the victim informs the Creative Director he's hungry and he's going to walk to Subway for a sandwich. The Creative Director decides not to walk with the victim to Subway and then retreats to his own apartment or stays in the victims apartment?

The victim walks to the Subway alone a little after midnight (according to reports) and then walks home around 2 am.

At around the time of the attack at 2:00 am, the victim is on the phone with his Music Director who hears the attack "Aren't you that *** from Empire?" and "This is MAGA country.".

The victim goes to his apartment and the Creative Director is there? Or did the victim call the Creative Director to meet him at his apartment?

PS... The "shout out " to the professionalism of the CPD is quite an interesting insert to the interview with the Creative Director.

It took about 2 hrs to go to Subway, buy a sandwich and walk back to his apartment? He didn't eat his sandwich there did he? I thought he had the sandwich in his hand on video entering his apartment building?

 

[Tim Callahan]

Or Nigerian....that would be even more distinct.

As soon as I saw that they might be Nigerian, I was thinking that. It would be almost impossible for them to be mistaken as white. And how could they and even why would they try to hide their racial identity? So, if two black men targeted Jussie and made it look like (to Jussie himself) that white racists did it, then this story just got exponentially more bizarre. IMO, checkmate.

 

[TTF14]

It took about 2 hrs to go to Subway, buy a sandwich and walk back to his apartment? He didn't eat his sandwich there did he? I thought he had the sandwich in his hand on video entering his apartment building?

Not that it matters, but Jussie said on GMA he got a salad.

 

[FinePrint]

I'm reading reports that LE has raided the home of the 2 that are being questioned and have taken evidence into their custody.

Sorry I'm on my iPhone and have no idea how to upload articles here with this device but the local reporters are tweeting and it is also on TMZ.

 

[Tim Callahan]

If that’s the case, those guys will probably be singing like birds right now. Don’t you think? Thoughts?

More than the parrots in the Enchanted Tiki Room.

 

[squid]

CWB Chicago: Smollett, two others in "active interviews" with Chicago police; Evidence of police "slow play" emerging

Given the developments in the case today, CWBChicago is sharing the following tip that we received over a week ago. Parallels being revealed today lend credibility to some of the source’s information.

If the source’s information turns out to be reasonably accurate, it will mean that Chicago police have known the identities of the persons of interest and believed the case to be staged for over a week.



Contacted for comment on details of the tip, Chicago Police Department chief spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi this afternoon said, "Can't confirm anything. We have active interviews underway."

Smollett this week turned over "heavily redacted" phone records from the night of the alleged attack. Guglielmi said the submitted documents did not meet the burden of a criminal investigation. Investigators already received Smollett's complete phone records via a subpoena served on his service provider, according to a source close quoted by CWBChicago on Feb. 4.

A source familiar with the records provided by the Empire star states that Smollett downloaded his phone activity into a spreadsheet and then deleted certain phone calls before handing over the records. “He did the [detectives’] job for them because then they only had to focus on the numbers he deleted.”

 

[Trident]

Not that it matters, but Jussie said on GMA he got a salad.

Yes, he did and I wondered what happened to it. Did it make it back to his abode in one piece along with the tuna sub, did one of the attackers steal it, or was it left spilled on the ground? Where did that salad go? This could be important IMO.

 

[cybervampira]

Two persons of interest in Jussie Smollett attack are identified | Daily Mail Online

Police have identified two persons of interest, including an actor who appeared in Empire, who were captured on surveillance footage near the scene where Jussie Smollett was attacked in a hate crime.

Smollet says he is certain that the two men caught on camera were the same involved in the January 29 incident.

TMZ reports that one of the men is an actor who has appeared in Empire.

Chicago Police Department would not confirm that detail on Thursday when contacted by DailyMail.com but a spokesman said the men being interviewed were the same two filmed walking near where the attack happened at around the same time.

The men have not been charged but were picked up by police at Chicago O'Hare Airport on Wednesday night, according to the TMZ report, which claims they were found by detectives who looked at ride-sharing history records from the night of the attack to find them.

It was also reported that Smollett was being questioned over the incident again but police would not confirm that fact either.

[...]

 

[coffeeandacig]

As soon as I saw that they might be Nigerian, I was thinking that. It would be almost impossible for them to be mistaken as white. And how could they and even why would they try to hide their racial identity? So, if two black men targeted Jussie and made it look like (to Jussie himself) that white racists did it, then this story just got exponentially more bizarre. IMO, checkmate.

Here is more bizarre for you...
REO Hat - listed in itemized CPD list of belongings taken from the residence.

 

[TTF14]

Who sent the earlier threatening letter to Mr. Smollett ?...... Anyone heard ?

This reporter has a pic of items taken from the home, including a magazine and stamps.

Curious!!

Charlie De Mar (@CharlieDeMar) | Twitter

 

[castilloisno1]

CWB Chicago: Smollett, two others in "active interviews" with Chicago police; Evidence of police "slow play" emerging

Given the developments in the case today, CWBChicago is sharing the following tip that we received over a week ago. Parallels being revealed today lend credibility to some of the source’s information.

If the source’s information turns out to be reasonably accurate, it will mean that Chicago police have known the identities of the persons of interest and believed the case to be staged for over a week.



Contacted for comment on details of the tip, Chicago Police Department chief spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi this afternoon said, "Can't confirm anything. We have active interviews underway."

Smollett this week turned over "heavily redacted" phone records from the night of the alleged attack. Guglielmi said the submitted documents did not meet the burden of a criminal investigation. Investigators already received Smollett's complete phone records via a subpoena served on his service provider, according to a source close quoted by CWBChicago on Feb. 4.

A source familiar with the records provided by the Empire star states that Smollett downloaded his phone activity into a spreadsheet and then deleted certain phone calls before handing over the records. “He did the [detectives’] job for them because then they only had to focus on the numbers he deleted.”

Could someone explain what evidence of police slow play emerging mean?..

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Rob Elgas:
Standby for a MAJOR development in the Jussie Smollett case.
Rob Elgas on Twitter