2 Arrests Made in Jussie Smollett Case

The "strange turn" that the Jussie Smollett case took this week now has another development. On Thursday, there was pushback from the Chicago Police Department on an ABC7 report, which cited unnamed CPD sources as suggesting the Empire actor had somehow been in on staging his own alleged assault. Meanwhile, a lawyer for two Nigerian brothers who were questioned in the case (and who police believed may have been seen in surveillance video on the night of the alleged attack) said Thursday that her clients had been extras on Empire and had been on "cordial" terms with Smollett. TMZ now reports that those two brothers, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, were arrested Friday and are now considered "potential suspects," not simply "persons of interest."

"Detectives have probable cause that they may have been involved in an alleged crime," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says in an email. It's believed it was the home of these two men that police raided Wednesday, finding bleach, laptops, a red hat, and other items, per TMZ. Chicago police say the suspects haven't been charged yet, and that they're still being questioned by investigators, the Wall Street Journal reports. Police say Smollett is continuing to cooperate with investigators. (More Jussie Smollett stories.)