Media Claim Two MAGA Fans Attacked Actor. Here Is The Full Story.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I'm interested in the conversation with his manager on the phone as the attack was allegedly occurring. I know the NSA can't outright admit they record every conversation, but it would be interesting if some entity could come up with a recording of the exchange.

I'm guessing there was no conversation, that's why he won't turn over the complete and un-redacted phone records.

[RBP]

I'm interested in the conversation with his manager on the phone as the attack was allegedly occurring. I know the NSA can't outright admit they record every conversation, but it would be interesting if some entity could come up with a recording of the exchange.

On the conversation. He's on the call when he gets verbally assaulted, then puts the phone in his pocket to fend off the attack, "I punched his ass back". When the attackers suddenly leave "running" (no video of anyone running) he gets the phone from his pocket and the manager asks "what's going on". "I was attacked" he replied. Hmmmm... I thought the manager heard the whole thing including the racist and homophobic comments?

[Hal-9000]

I'm guessing there was no conversation, that's why he won't turn over the complete and un-redacted phone records.

Sure there was a conversation.

Jussie - And then, I'm going to say these two white guys in masks shouted racial and sexual abuse, then they threw bleach on me, then they put a noose over my head after they beat me!
Manager - Be careful Jussie, don't really hit your face because you know...actor and all that. Maybe just scratch it with a fingernail?
Jussie - Good idea. I'll fall onto the ground really hard too and claim they kicked me in the side. This is going to be great. I should be a script writer!
Manager - Jobs will come pouring in guaranteed. Now get ready for the biggest audition of your life kid. Find two people and go fall down near them! Knock em dead!

[Hal-9000]

On the conversation. He's on the call when he gets verbally assaulted, then puts the phone in his pocket to fend off the attack, "I punched his ass back". When the attackers suddenly leave "running" (no video of anyone running) he gets the phone from his pocket and the manager asks "what's going on". "I was attacked" he replied. Hmmmm... I thought the manager heard the whole thing including the racist and homophobic comments?

My thoughts too. You got a phone out and it's on while getting attacked? By evil MAGA people??

Today, people will either record the audio or get the video going in a heartbeat.

He had the perfect situation to reflect his cause, which was being attacked because he was gay, black, left...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


Jussie Smollett is being questioned again by Chicago PD ... and officers are also talking to another man, an actor who has also appeared on "Empire" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the case tell us the actor, not Jussie, was picked up by Chicago PD Wednesday night right after he flew into O'Hare Airport. We're told Jussie was brought in Thursday morning for additional questioning. Another man who was with the actor at O'Hare was also taken in for questioning.

The two individuals are being questioned as "persons of interest." Police won't say if they are the same 2 people seen in the grainy image released last month. But, law enforcement sources tell TMZ, they believe the 2 people were at the scene of the alleged attack.

As for how cops ID'd the 2 people they're questioning -- we're told they used rideshare and/or taxicab records to track their locations the night of the alleged incident.

Jussie is on record saying he believes the 2 men in the grainy image are the ones who attacked him.

Story developing ...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


3:30 PM PT -- Police raided the home of the 2 men who cops picked up at the O'Hare Airport Wednesday night ... this according to WBBM TV reporter Charlie De Mar, who says he spoke to the family of the 2 men. Both men are Nigerian and were extras on "Empire." Based on what the cops have already said, it appears these are the same men who were captured on the surveillance video.

According to the report, police seized 5 bottles of bleach, a red hat, 2 laptops and other items.

The family said the 2 men left for Nigeria the day of the alleged attack. This is consistent with what law enforcement sources previously told TMZ ... that the men left for Nigeria and returned Wednesday night, and the police tracked their travels and were waiting for them when they landed in Chicago.

By the way ... when we broke the story about the various details of the alleged attack, our Jussie sources said the actor identified the 2 men as white. We do not know the skin color of the 2 men from Nigeria.

Important to note ... the red hat may be a red herring, because Jussie never said the men were wearing MAGA hats ... rather, he says they screamed "MAGA country."

2:50 PM PT -- Chicago PD has confirmed ... the 2 men taken in for questioning are the same men in the surveillance video screen grab. The PD confirms transportation records, along with interviews with Jussie and other witnesses, led to the ID of the 2 men.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Why does this seem all too convenient?

[RBP]

White Nigerians who love Trump. It all make sense now.

[Muddy]

Its all just a ruse to make Trump supporters look like racists..

[Teh One Who Knocks]

What I want to know is, how did it go from absolutely no leads in the case for 2 weeks plus, and then suddenly they were able to identify those two indistinguishable figures in that video and know where they lived?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By James Barrett - The Daily Wire




This article has been updated to provide the latest developments.


The saga surrounding the alleged hate crime attack against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett took a dramatic turn on Thursday amid multiple reports that Chicago police took two "persons of interest" into questioning, including one man who reportedly worked with Smollett as an actor on "Empire." A Chicago ABC affiliate and CBS Chicago reported Thursday evening that sources close to the case said police are investigating whether Smollett and the two persons of interest potentially "staged the attack."

"Multiple sources have told ABC7 Eyewitness News that police are investigating whether Smollett and the two men staged the attack allegedly because Smollett was being written off of 'Empire,'" ABC7 reported Thursday evening.

"Police are investigating whether the two individuals committed the attack — or whether the attack happened at all," Chicago police told ABC, the outlet reported in an update to its original report. Citing a source familiar with the investigation, ABC says that Smollett also "failed to appear for an interview with detectives earlier Thursday, but has since spoken with police."

CBS Chicago also reports that sources say police are investigating if the alleged attack was "potentially staged" by the "non-cooperating" persons of interest and the actor. "Investigators believe Jussie Smollett and the non-cooperating witnesses in the alleged attack of Smollett last month 'potentially staged the attack,' sources tell CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards," the outlet reports.

Earlier Thursday, multiple outlets, including The Chicago Tribune, reported that police had confirmed that they detained two persons of interest at O'Hare International Airport for questioning about their potential involvement in the case Wednesday night. One of the men reportedly appeared on "Empire," ABC News confirmed.

According to ABC, law enforcement officials say the homes of the two persons of interest were raided Wednesday night, noting that officials "removed shoes, electronic devices and other items they believe could help them determine if the two people played any role in the assault from those homes."

The outlet stresses that Chicago police told them they "cannot confirm any of those reports" and that no charges have been filed. In an update posted Thursday night, ABC reports that Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson contacted the outlet to clarify that the department is "continuing to treat Smollett as a victim and the investigation remains ongoing."

In response to ABC's initial report, Smollett's representatives issued a statement saying the actor "did answer routine followup questions for Chicago Police Department and continues to cooperate" and that he is not being written off "Empire." The outlet reports that Fox has also denied the "patently ridiculous" claim, stating, "He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him."

Thursday evening, CBS Chicago's Charlie De Mar provided more details about the persons of interest and the Wednesday night raid. He also quoted a "top source" as saying, "We [investigators] believe the non-cooperating 2 witnesses are co-conspirators in a potentially staged attack."

Smollett, a 36-year-old openly gay African American singer and actor, told police that he was brutally attacked at around 2 a.m. on January 29 while walking home from Subway in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. According to Smollett, the two masked men hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, doused him with an unknown chemical (believed to be bleach), assaulted him, and put a rope around his neck. Along with allegedly calling him "n***er" and "f***ot," he says they yelled, "This is MAGA country!"

But by the end of the first week of the investigation, police revealed that all available surveillance footage failed to show the attack. One piece of evidence emerged: a grainy image of two men dressed in dark clothing that Smollett said in an interview with "Good Morning America" Thursday were the two men.

Using the surveillance photos and, according to TMZ, "rideshare and/or taxicab records," police say they were able to identify the two persons of interest and track them the night of the alleged attack.

[DemonGeminiX]

[lost in melb.]

So the "attackers" and Smealett know each other?

[RBP]

So the "attackers" and Smealett know each other?

All conjecture at this point, but that may be the case.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

White Nigerians who love Trump. It all make sense now.

Jussie Smollett's Story Has Race Discrepancy
By the TMZ Staff




A key part of Jussie Smollett's story is not tracking ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

TMZ broke many of the details of Jussie's story just hours after the attack ... the rope, the bleach, the statement by the attackers, "This is MAGA country" and also that his 2 attackers were white.



We have now confirmed, the 2 Nigerian men who were picked up by police at O'Hare Airport are black. Police say the 2 men are the same ones who were captured on surveillance video around the time of the incident.

Jussie told Robin Roberts this week, he's positive the 2 men on the surveillance video are the same 2 men who attacked him.

When we first reported the details of the story -- including Jussie saying the 2 men were white -- we were told twice, after we posted, it accurately reflected Jussie's version of events. We also spoke with our Jussie sources Friday and they reaffirmed he had said that day the men were white.

One of the reasons why it's so important ... as we reported, Jussie says the men hurled a racist epithet and screamed, "This is MAGA country." As you know, Trump reportedly made hateful remarks about African countries, calling them "Shithole countries."

The 2 men were both extras on "Empire."

We have asked one of Jussie's people if he knew the 2 men ... the rep said she did not know.